Turkey and Syria earthquake

when did the earthquake hit

6th Feb 2023

first was 7.8 at 4:17 am

second 7.5 at 1:24 pm

where was the earthquake

on the conservative plate boundary along the East Antolian fault

the transform boundary runs in a northeasterly direction between the anatolian and arabian plates

at a depth of 18Km and 10Km

where was the earthquake worse and why

deaths were higher in Syria- the civil war meant borders were closed

there were not aid agencies in Syria

what were the social impacts

affected nearly 18 million people

55,000 deaths

130,000 injuries

2.6 million in tent cities and 1.6 million residing on streets

300,000 buildings destroyed/unstable

broken water pipes and risk of cholera - over 40,000 cases in Syria

only 1 in 7 medical facilities working

what were the economic impacts

food shortages in rural areas impacting income of farmers

food prices increased by over 20%

economic loss in turkey of 50-85 billion

what were the environmental impacts

ground failure and lateral spreading due to liquefaction

coastal areas experienced widespread damage

Iskendurn on the coast had seawater incursion up to 200m inland- may have been due to rupture subsidence and minor tsunami

what were political impacts of the turkey syria earthquake

rescue efforts in syria were slowed by the civil war

how did the syrian civil war impact responses

southeastern turkey already had 3.6 million syrian refugees

3 million internally displaced refugees in northwestern syria

only 5% lived in tents but did not mean good living conditions a 15.3 million syrians require humanitarian aid

part of syria controlled by ISIS and so the border closed to avoid people who were part of ISIS entering turkey

how did transboundary issues impact response

before earthquake only 1 functioning route along border for humanitarian aid

route was damaged causing 3 day delay for aid into syria from turkey

a week later 2 more border crossings opened

syria had relied on turkey for aid and trade but the earthquake impacted both countries suspending supply of food etc

how did the time of year impact the effects

struck in winter- feb temps were 5-10 degrees lower than av

high pressure system over europe prevented warm westerly windflow and trapped cold air over middle east

survivors reluctant to enter buildings and stayed outside

march 2023 heavy rainfall caused floods and destroyed temporary shelters

how did the time of day impact the effects

first earthquake at 4:17 am- most asleep- significantly contributed to death toll

but believed that individuals kept warm under blankets and duvets survived for several days before being rescued

how did the large child population impact the effects

large young population- 2.5 million children now facing increased risks of poverty, access to education, child labour, family separation, forced child marriage

14,000 births registered within first month

47% of syrian refugees in the area are under 18

how did syrias relationship to donor countries have an impact

concern that aid to syria would not help everyone

syrian regime only had relationships with russia and iran

few reporters due to border control

issues of donor fatigue due to past aid for civil war

what were the impacts of economic durntown

high inflation levels in turkey- cant afford food and other living costs

1.5 million were under the national average income

how did COVID-19 have impacts

diseases including COVID spread rapidly, particularly the most vulnerable

further impacts on childrens education

what were the impacts one year on

debris still being cleared- buildings remained damaged and crumbling

families still living in tents and containers

1/3 of displaced children still dont have a home to live in

30% of families dont have access to eduction

protests in anger towards the turkish gov for response and rebuilding being slow

donor fatigue- lack of donations and funding

what were the immediate responses

state of emergency declared for 3 months

local people searched for survivors- 250,000 volunteers from turkey joined rescue efforts

specialised equipment and sniffer dogs used in turkey to locate survivors buried under rubble

international rescue teams and aid arrived after a few days

UN appeal aimed to help over 10 million

supplies of shelter food and medicine provided

what limited the immediate responses

access was limited to many areas of syria

turkeys Hatay airport was badly damaged, affecting aid coming in

heavy equipment couldnt be brought in- 50% of those trapped under the rubble died

long term responses

reconstruction efforts were planned but delayed by the scale of damage

improving building standards and strengthening infrastructure to reduce future risks in turkey

financial aid and international support pledged- $1bn from the world bank to support turkeys recovery

psychological and medical support for survivors

development of early warning systems to give people time to react

what relief was given by the DEC (disaster emergency committee)

raised over £150 million, including £5 matched by the UK government

the biggest charity donor to the earthquake response

the 3rd largest appeal in DEC’s 60 yr history