Türkiye, Syria Earthquake Emergency
Death toll surpasses 41,000 in Syria, Türkiye earthquake.
Both Syria and Türkiye have declared a state of emergency after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the two countries early Monday morning.
More than 41,000 people have died, over 70,000 people are injured and in desperate need of medical care, and some 64,000 buildings are completely destroyed, leaving millions of people without homes.
The death toll is expected to rise sharply as rescue workers continue to search for survivors in the rubble.
Both Syria and Türkiye are now facing the risk of a ‘secondary disaster’: freezing temperatures. This time of year, both Syria and Türkiye often experience subzero temperatures and as millions of people are fighting for their lives in makeshift tents, they are at an extremely high risk of frostbite and even freezing to death.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has just issued General License (GL) 23 to expand authorizations to support earthquake relief efforts in Syria. Under this license, UMR can provide our emergency relief efforts to Syria beginning immediately.
We are so grateful to the Department of Treasury’s Office for the opportunity to provide help in Syria.
As the countries begin their long journey towards recovery, UMR is focusing its efforts on providing emergency food aid, medical supplies, and essential winter items.
Our team is headed to Syria and Türkiye to begin relief efforts immediately.
UMR is especially concerned for the often-neglected Syrian refugees who had very little essentials before the earthquake even hit.
UMR is responding in the form of food baskets, winter care kits, emergency health kits for households, and Interagency Emergency Health Kits for hospitals and medical clinics.
To reiterate, in a disaster of this proportion, any donation will make a difference in the lives of individuals who lost everything.
In our first round on February 13, 2023, we provided emergency food kits and non-food items which are set to serve at least 1,000 beneficiaries. These distributions took place in Jandaris, Afrin, Atareb and Auran.
UMR has also secured medical and pharmaceutical supplies set to support 100,000 people that are being processed to be shipped to Turkey as soon as possible.
