International charity Human Appeal which launched an emergency appeal for the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey has identified critical aid required by survivors via its team on the ground in Gaziantep.
The earthquake, the worst to hit Turkey in the last century, has collapsed a multitude of buildings, taken out power lines and disrupted water supply leaving many without shelter and food. The Human Appeal aid workers are focusing their efforts near to the epicentre of the devastating earthquake that struck the area of Kahramanmaraş.
The initial assessment by Human Appeal has identified an urgent need for hot meals, food, shelter, hygiene kits and winter kits including warm blankets, pillows and mattresses. Human Appeal will be initially serving 30 thousand meals covering 450 families with 2 meals a day and distribute over 2 thousand hygiene kits to the areas hardest hit by the earthquake. The earthquake has coincided with a harsh winter storm that has swept the area that hampered rescue efforts and exposed survivors to bitter cold.
Local emergency services are focused on search and rescue efforts to find survivors under collapsed buildings. The death toll is expected to be in the thousands.
Dr. Ubeyd Sakin, Human Appeal’s Country Director for Turkiye said: ‘Over 9,000 people have lost their lives and many are severely injured. Unfortunately, this number is expected to rise. The disaster hit 10 of Turkiye’s Southern cities. There is urgent need for shelter, food and winter items such as blankets as temperatures in the area drop.’’
Human Appeal is on the ground right now working in close coordination with the local authorities, monitoring the events and participating in the humanitarian efforts to provide vital assistance to affected families, who are in urgent need. Thousands of homes have been affected, and some families are now living in temporary accommodation. Many large earthquakes and tremors have followed the initial massive earthquake which is also hampering communications, rescue and aid efforts.
Father holding his injured daughter
About Human Appeal
Human Appeal USA is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Tax ID # 87-2410117. Your donations are tax deductible. Human Appeal Inc. 26050 Acero, Suite 415, Mission Viejo, CA 92691, USA.
Tel: +1 949 569 9060. Email: [email protected]
For more information visit: www.humanappealusa.org
