By Elizabeth Chukwuma, with Agency Reports
The International Community, has a big task at hand : How to bail out the European country of Turkey and the Middle East country of Syria, hit by the deadly earthquake on Monday, February 6, 2023, that killed thousands of people .
Agency reports has it that more than 70 countries have offered rescue personnel and other material and Financial aid to the two countries .India, South Korea, and war- torn Ukraine are among the nations that were said to have agreed that to be sending rescue personnel and supplies to the two countries to assist the earthquake victims.
The India government, according to Diplomatic reports is sending 100 members of its Natural Disaster Response Force, particular, the trained dog squads and medical personnel and equipment to Turkey . President Yoon Suk Yeol , of South Korea, ‘’ who had described Turkey as a brother nation’’, on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, disclosed that the government will provide $5 million in emergency Humanitarian aid, dispatch rescue personnel and provide emergency medical supplies to support Turkey, which is suffering from massive casualties after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck on Monday, February 6, 2023.
The South Korean President was said to have also sent a message to his Turkish Counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan that ‘’all possible assistance ‘’would be provided for a speedy recovery of the devastated Gaziantep region in the country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, of Ukraine, whose country has been at war with Russia, over the last 11 months may not want to be left out in helping out Turkey in this trying moment as he has issued a decree on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, ordering to send humanitarian aid to Turkey to help overcome the consequences of the devastating earthquake.,
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine,Foreign minister , had said that the country might send several dozen emergency workers to Turkey to assist in clearing the trouble. The Asian country of Taiwan ,was said to have increased its donation to Turkey from $200,000 to $2 million as well as dispatched 130 rescue workers to the country to assist in the search and rescue operations . That much was announced by the country’s ministry of Foreign Affairs.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the earthquake hit Turkey and Syrian, have continued to attract international attentions. Agency reports has it that 300,000 blankets, , 4,511 family living tents, and 47 M2 tents, 102,254 bed, 178,732 pillows and sheets, 4,602 kitchen sets and 3,761 heaters had been sent to Turkey for distribution to the victims.
Even Greece that have a cold relationship with Turkey, was said to have set aid the tension, to dispatch aid to the country. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek Prime Minister, was quoted by CNN, as saying that that Greece and Turkey are neighbours which need each other through difficult times. Hear him: This is a time to temporarily set aside our differences and try to address what is very urgent situation.
Even Companies and Non-profit Organisations are said to be committing to the 10 Turkish provinces in the Gaziantep region . Amazon, a US, based multinational firm, were said to have announced that it will help victims of the Turkey earthquake by donating food, medicine and equipment from its Istanbul warehouse . The retail giant, which according to agency reports has almost , 2,000 employees in Turkey , had said that it has activated its disaster relief capabilities , and was preparing to donate relief items , including blankets, tents food, baby food and medicines.
Diplomatic analysts would want the International community to move fast into aid Syria, and help out, because 65% of the basic infrastructural facilities in the rebel controlled region hit by the earthquake d have been destroyed or heavily damaged.
Prior to the earthquake that struck in the rebel controlled region on Monday, February 6, 2023, 90% of the population was dependent on humanitarian aid, which comes through only one border route crossing via Turkey, in Bab al-Hawa, meaning that the situation may be worse now it has been destroyed.
The North American country, US, of the United States had said that it is working with its European allies to provide earthquake relief materials to the Middle East country but will still stand against working with the government of President Barshar al-Asad.
Stephen Allen , a top official of the US, agency for International Development, USAID, had said that since most of the damage in Syria I was in the rebel controlled area of the country, the agency is re-orienting assistance that was already in place to help the war –torn country , focusing on rescue efforts and other immediate needs of the people such as shelter and food.
Meanwhile, the US, based International Committee of the Red Cross, IRC, which is known the world –over for its humanitarian efforts, says it has sent surgical materials, to a public hospital at Alepo , Syria. Enough to treat 100 people.
The IRC, was said to have also made provision for more of such items and other medical equipment which are on its way to the Alepo, Latakia and Tartou , hospitals, along with thousands of canned food enough to feed tens of thousands people, in the affected areas in the country, blankets, mattresses and other essential items.
The United Nations on its part says ‘’ it is exploring all avenues’’ to get supplies to the rebel held north –western Syria.The global body says it has released $25 million from its emergency fund to help kick-start the humanitarian response in Turkey and Syria.
As a prelude to ensuring that the relief supplies get to the earthquake victims in the rebel controlled region ofSyria, the UN, according to Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson, had said that the global body is preparing a convoy to cross the conflict lines within Syria, as the Monday’s earthquake have damaged the Bab al-Hawa road leading to the main border crossing from Turkey to northern Syria.
The first shipment of the relief materials is expected to depart its fulfillment centre in Istanbul, the country’s capital on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
The Turkish government had reported that more than 7,800 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured due to the devastating earthquake in the Gaziantep Province. There are indications that thousands of buildings had collapsed in the affected region in Turkey.
The US Geological Survey agency had described the earthquake as one of the strongest to hit the Turkey region in more than 100 years , as it was said to have struck 23 Km or 14.2 miles, east of Nurdagin the country’s Gaziantep Province, and at a depth of 24.1KM , 14.9 miles.
The Syrian news Agency, SANA, had reported that the death toll in the country has risen to at least 1,932. It noted that in the government held provinces of Alepo, Lakatia, Hama and Tartou, no fewer than 812 people were killed and 1449 people injured. It further stated that 1,120 people were killed in the rebel-controlled north western region and 2,500 injured.
The combined death toll in the two countries that earthquake struck on Monday, February 6, 2023, which levelled cities and towns was said to have surpassed 11, 000 people by Tuesday, February 7, 2023, Rescue workers, according to agency reports are still looking for people trapped under the rubble in in the freezing weather, with temperature s in Gaziantep, near the epicenter in southern turkey dropping to the low 20s overnight, which may lead to global humanitarian crisis.
Many believe that the level of destruction damage meted out by the earthquake upon Syrian’s north western region has no comparison. It was reported that areas controlled by the rebels have been hit hard by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks as well that the damage that had resulted from the 12 years war in which President Barshar al- Asad regime had used almost every available weapon in the country to prosecute the war is nothing compared to the earthquake induced damage in the rebel controlled region.
Given the number of people that were said to have been killed in the Gaziantep Province due to the devastating earth quake in the region, may have encouraged Recep Tayyip rdogan, the Turkish President to announce a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces worst affected by the earthquake in the country.
The Turkish President , who is playing a mediatory war role to the end the over 10 months Ukraine-Russia war , had said that that the state of emergency is to ensure that rescue work can be carried out quickly in the country’s south eastern region, with further delay.
At present there are 59,971 search and rescue personnel working across the 10 provinces hit by the deadly earthquake in Turkey alone. There are also reports that an additional,3,251 international rescue personnel are already located in the 10 provinces and are helping in the rescue operations. 12,000 of the Turkish workers, are said to be working alongside with 9,000 troops in the 10 provinces.
In Kahramanmaras, one of the major cities in Turkey , hard –hit by the earth quake rescue workers who were said to have working all through the night in the frigid cold since Monday, February 6, 2023, to pull out survivours from the rubble of collapsed buildings are said to be making appreciable impact. More than 1000 people were said to be missing in the town alone due to the earthquake.
