Turkey-Syria Earthquake Emergency Appeal
Two huge earthquakes caused widespread devastation in Turkey (Türkiye) and Syria in early February.
More than 50,000 people have died, with tens of thousands injured and hundreds of thousands more impacted.
A 7.8 magnitude quake struck near Gaziantep, Turkey, in the early hours of February 6 while people were asleep. A second 7.5 magnitude tremor hit at around 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT), which officials said was "not an aftershock".
Shelter is the biggest need
“The biggest priority for people affected by these earthquakes is shelter as it’s currently below freezing in the areas hit by the earthquakes,” said Fiona Gannon, regional director with Concern.
These have been some of the strongest earthquakes in Turkey in 100 years and aftershocks have disrupted communications and electricity supplies, many people are too afraid to go inside, choosing to sleep in their cars instead.
But shelter is not the only need. Food, clean water and hygiene and sanitation services are all urgently required. Our teams are working around the clock to meet those needs.
Donate to help save lives in Turkey and Syria
Concern has been working in Turkey and Syria since 2013, through livelihood, education and protection programming.
Our teams have been supplying blankets and heaters in Şanlıurfa, close to the epicentre of the earthquakes in southern Turkey, along with food and water.
So far, more than 5,400 hygiene kits have been distributed as part of our response, as well as more than 3,000 kitchen sets. We have also distributed more than 7,500 blankets, as well as more than 3,900 sleeping mats.
We're also opening community centres that are deemed safe, so families have somewhere to sleep. In northwest Syria, our team has been working with local partners to assess the needs of people who have been affected.
We urgently need your support to expand our response. Your donation today can help to save lives.
