Responding to the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey

On February 6, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey near the city of Gaziantep. Just 11 minutes later, the region was struck again, by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock. These strong quakes were followed by more in the early afternoon, with a 7.5 magnitude tremblor hitting the region, followed by a 6.0 magnitude aftershock.

The powerful quakes, which were felt as far away as Lebanon, Cyprus, Iraq and Egypt, have killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria, and injured many more. Though search-and-rescue operations are under way across the region, response efforts will be complicated by difficult weather conditions—temperatures are expected to dip as low as 19°F, with frequent rain, snow and ice—as well as ongoing conflict in northern Syria.

International Medical Corps is coordinating closely with our local teams and partners, assessing the situation across the region and is mobilizing its response. Our team in Syria has already deployed to communities, bringing medical and mental health services, as well as vital supplies—such as blankets, clean water, hand sanitizers and sanitary pads—to women, children and men affected by the quakes. We also are in discussion with the World Health Organization regarding a potential deployment of our Emergency Medical Team.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we will update our website as our response progresses.

*Note for recurring donations: Once we have determined that the community can continue to respond to the after-effects of this emergency without us, we will scale back our response efforts. At that time, we will redirect your future donations where they are needed most, to help us respond to future outbreaks of conflict, disease or disaster.