It has been a month since Turkey and Syria were hit by strong earthquakes. Rescue work has given way to the relief of victims and the first tentative reconstruction. How are things in the countries?
A month later, the magnitude of the disaster is still not fully understood. Last week, the total death toll passed 50,000, and it now stands at more than 51,000. That will almost certainly increase, as thousands of people are still missing. If they are under the rubble, their chance of survival is now as good as zero.
Strong aftershocks are still occurring in the earthquake area, sometimes causing new victims. On Monday, southeastern Turkey was hit by a strong aftershock that killed at least one person. Dozens of people were injured and some buildings collapsed.
The Turkish disaster relief agency AFAD reports in its latest update that more than 45,000 people in the country have died as a result of the earthquakes. The death toll in Syria is around 6,000, but that is still an estimate. Finding, identifying and counting casualties is difficult because of the country’s civil war.
Every now and then a miraculous rescue takes place. So became the dog Alex rescued alive from the rubble in Hatay more than three weeks after the quakes. A horse was rescued in Adiyaman.
Turkey has started clearing debris, but that is already causing problems
Immediately after the earthquakes, Turkey received help from many countries. International rescue teams were on the scene within 24 hours to assist in finding and rescuing victims from the rubble. Many international rescue teams have since moved on as the response to the disaster has entered its next phase. They have been replaced by teams clearing the debris.
AFAD reports that it has set up 360,000 tents, spread over more than three hundred locations in the affected provinces. In addition, temporary container homes have been set up at 162 locations. According to the disaster management service, this provides a temporary place to live for one and a half million people. People who have lost their homes are also taken care of in hotels.
On Tuesday, World Health Organization WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Turkey is “doing its best” but still needs international help to care for the victims. At least two million people have fled the earthquake zone.
Aid reaches Syria in dribs and drabs
Tedros also visited northwestern Syria on Wednesday. The WHO director said his heart was “broken” by what he found there. Aid in Syria is progressing with difficulty because of the 12-year civil war. Many hospitals and other vital buildings have been shot to pieces. The country has also become diplomatically isolated from the rest of the world due to the civil war and has received less international aid.
Syria was therefore long dependent on emergency aid from organizations such as the United Nations, Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross. Several border posts with Turkey have now been opened, making it easier for aid workers to reach the affected area. At the end of February, the first planes carrying aid from the European Union arrived in Syria. More flights will follow.
Tens of thousands of Syrians who had fled their homeland to Turkey have left the earthquake zone to return to Syria. The Turkish authorities allow them to stay there for six months without being prevented from returning to Turkey. The Syrian refugees use that period to check whether their families are okay.
Reconstruction is still an empty promise for both countries
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to rebuild the destroyed homes within a year. According to structural engineers, it is very doubtful whether he can safely fulfill that promise. It will probably be months before people can leave the tents or emergency containers that they are currently housed in.
Before the repair work can begin, the rubble must first be cleared. Due to the collapse of more than 160,000 buildings, there are millions of tons of rubble that need to be cleaned up in Turkey. The UN estimates that amount to be between 116 and 210 million tons of rubble. This is now transported to temporary landfills. The extensive clean-up work also entails risks, such as asbestos and other harmful substances.
Reconstruction work in Syria has not yet begun at all. The UN and its member states have made a total of 400 million euros available for the reconstruction of the country, and other organizations are also collecting money. But there is no guarantee that financial aid to Syria will end up in the right places. The reconstruction of Syria simply cannot begin while the civil war is still raging.
