DANIDA SPA 2023 Top-up Turkey Earthquake II

A massive earthquake (magnitude 7.8) with its epicentre near Gaziantep affected southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of 6th February 2023. A series of aftershocks and subsequent earthquakes continue to cause large scale damage, loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure in the area. The areas in southern Türkiye host some of the largest populations of Syrian refugees – estimated to be approximately 3.7million in total across the country. Emergency services are still carrying out search and rescue operations (6th February, 1530h) in the affected areas, but initial reports indicate massive damage to housing stock, coming in the midst of extreme winter conditions in the area, and compounding existing severe economic and protection challenges being faced by both refugee and host populations. DRC’s Türkiye operation is headquartered in the city of Hatay – one of the worst affected areas, with its own field offices and bases, and partner presence across some of the areas most impacted by the earthquake – Kilis, Kahramanmarash, Sanliurfa and Antakya. While damage and need assessments are yet to be carried out, DRC has initiated response measures aimed at responding to what are likely to be most high priority needs. This is based on initial reports from the area and past experiences of responses to earthquakes. These include: