SARD Türkiye Earthquake Response, Flash Report 16 – September 04, 2023 – Türkiye

Situation overview

On February 6th, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck central Türkiye and Northwest Syria causing widespread destruction. Being one of the most powerful earthquakes recorded in the region in at least a century, it was followed by a second powerful earthquake hours later that threatened to overwhelm rescue efforts and caused additional human and material losses.

Humanitarian needs remain high after the devastating earthquake that hit both Türkiye and Syria on February 6th. In Türkiye alone, the earthquake killed over 50,000 people, injured over a hundred thousand more, and displaced more than 3 million people. Overall, UNOCHA estimates that 9.1 million people were directly affected by the earthquake.

Despite continuous relief efforts by both the Türkiye government and humanitarian organisations, multi-sectoral needs remain with populations affected by the earthquake expressing their ongoing unmet needs, particularly in rural areas. Priority areas requiring immediate support include WASH (mobile toilets and showers, hygiene kits), food security and livelihoods (including cash support, food packages and cooked meals) and shelter (such as shelter repairs, summarization and containers) as well as protection (psycho-social support).