The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) notes with great sadness the tragic impact of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and significant aftershocks affecting northern Syria and southern Turkey. This disaster compounds the already dire humanitarian situation in the region: millions of refugees and displaced persons had found settlement in these areas and are now again faced with critical shortages in shelter, food and safe water, and medical care. We remain engaged with our colleagues and partners in the region and are prepared to provide support. Kaveh Khoshnood, Faculty Director of the HRL, emphasized: “As response operations shift from search and rescue to recovery and rebuilding, the provision of life-saving medical treatment and ongoing preventative care will remain essential. Also essential is the documentation of accurate mortality figures, in order to account for the devastating losses to the affected communities. The HRL has long supported techniques, including verbal autopsy[ME1] [KK2] through collaboration with MakeDeathsCount NGO, that can provide closure to family members and help public officials understand the true toll of mass casualty events such as this catastrophic earthquake.”
The earthquake and aftershock impact on Syria are compounded by ongoing conflict and severe access limitations. Before the earthquake, only one border crossing between Syria and Turkey served opposition-held territory and was approved by the UN for transporting international aid; it can no longer function due to surrounding damage, limiting incoming aid solely to government-controlled Damascus [NYT]. Now, the country director of United Nations aid operations has said that key roads and other infrastructure has been critically damaged, threatening the ability of an already challenged operation to deliver life-saving aid to survivors [Reuters]. “Now is the time for the international humanitarian community to come together and restore essential logistics functions in Syria,” stated Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of the HRL. “Access for humanitarian responders enables delivery of essential services which are desperately needed by survivors of this tragic event. All impediments for responders should be removed in order to facilitate rescue and recovery.”
Access for humanitarian responders enables delivery of essential services which are desperately needed by survivors of this tragic event. All impediments for responders should be removed in order to facilitate rescue and recovery.
Nathaniel Raymond
The HRL encourages members of the Yale community to stay informed on the response to the earthquake. For those that are able and wish to make financial contributions to relief efforts, please find our suggestions included below:
- Syrian-American Medical Society (SAMS): Donate
- Syrian Red Crescent via International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: Donate
- Turkish Red Crescent: Donate
- Central Emergency Response Fund (United Nations): Donate
- Hayata Destek / Support to Life - Turkish independent humanitarian organization: Donate
Syria-specific local aid organizations either working on search and rescue or humanitarian and medical aid overall: