Earthquakes in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria: Help Provide Urgent Health-Focused Aid with Americares

Americares continues to respond to the devastating earthquake that hit southern Türkiye and northwest Syria on February 6th. The scale of the disaster is staggering. Over 44,000 people lost their lives and over 100,000 are thought to be injured. Around 23 million people live in the earthquake affected region, including 1.4 million children. One million people are now displaced from their homes and more than 56,000 buildings in 10 provinces collapsed or were heavily damaged. Further adding to the crisis, on February 20th, a 6.4 magnitude tremor hit near Antakya, Türkiye, crumbling more buildings, killing at least six people, injuring roughly 300 people, and bringing fresh trauma to this beleaguered region.

Americares has a team in Türkiye coordinating our response in close partnership with both long-term partners and new partners. To-date, we have:

Sent relief shipments to hard-hit areas:
Delivered a shipment of medicines and supplies to a longtime partner in Northwest Syria on February 9th, a day before the first UN aid arrived in Syria.
Sent a 16-ton shipment of emergency medicines, supplies, IV fluids and hygiene kits valued at over $1.6M to support several hospitals and patients in the affected areas of northwest Syria.
Sent shipments of emergency health kits which will contain medicine and medical supplies including IV fluids, wound care supplies, and surgical tools, chronic disease medications and hygiene kits. The shipments are for distribution in Syria.

Supported 30,000 internally displaced children and adults in Hatay and Mersin, Türkiye. People are sheltering in emergency camps run by the local municipalities. These cities are in desperate need of basic equipment and supplies such as generators, fuel, tents, ovens, food, blankets, hygiene and personal care items. Americares is also supporting psychological assessments in the camps in order to determine longer-term mental health supports.

Supported seven hospitals in northwest Syria treating earthquake survivors. We are supporting the hospitals in obtaining essential medicines and supplies for their emergency rooms, intensive care units and surgical facilities. The support is also for an ambulance referral network, to help transport people to the hospitals.

Supported a hospital with no power in Gaziantep Province, Türkiye to purchase generator fuel,allowing the facility to continue providing health services at this time of crisis, including surgeries for people injured in the earthquake.

We are engaging in a full-scale response and expect to provide much more aid to support families and the damaged health systems in Turkey and Syria in the weeks and months to come. Your support is vital. Join us now and help provide relief in this critical stage of the response.

*Should Americares raise funds in excess of what's needed to respond to this particular crisis, the funds will be redirected to where the need is greatest.