.jpeg "Emergency intervention for earthquake-stricken Turkey and Syria - Concluded")
After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook southeastern Turkey (officially the Republic of Turkiye) and northwestern Syria on February 6, 2023, freezing temperatures, snowfall, and damaged roads hampered desperate search and rescue operations for people trapped under collapsed buildings. The death toll has exceeded 21,000 and continues to rise by the hour. In an area already devastated by nearly 12 years of conflict in Syria and the refugee crisis, thousands more have been injured. According to local media, more than 2,800 structures have been destroyed in Turkey. Millions of Syrian refugees reside in the nearby cities of Nurda and Gaziantep, just outside the provincial capital. Along the border, plagued by nearly 12 years of conflict in Syria and the refugee crisis, the earthquake has increased suffering. According to UNHCR, which manages one of its main operations from Gaziantep, Turkey hosts the largest refugee population in the world, over 3.6 million Syrians. In the middle of winter, hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless in both countries. Many people have set up temporary shelters in supermarket parking lots, mosques, along roadsides, and among the rubble, often in need of food, water, and warmth. The supply of clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), as well as assistance for health, shelter, and protection, are the main priorities. Shelters need fuel and heat, as the cold and subzero temperatures are a serious concern. Another top priority is to provide tents, beds, and blankets to people left homeless by the earthquake. The inability to rescue trapped people due to lack of tools, skills, and support has been lamented by many in Turkey, sometimes even as cries for help could be heard. Young people affected by the earthquake are now incredibly helpless and at risk.
There are currently hundreds of thousands of homeless people, many of whom have likely been torn from their families and are at risk of disease transmission, child labor or early marriage among children, as well as other forms of exploitation and abuse. In northwestern Syria there were already urgent humanitarian needs, and this devastating earthquake has greatly worsened an already disastrous situation. Even before many structures were destroyed, they were poorly equipped and unable to meet demand.
Families are facing the physical and psychological effects of the earthquake, trying to survive without a home, without access to food, and with subzero temperatures. Numerous survivors will need medication for hypertension, diabetes, and asthma that was left among the rubble in the coming weeks, when searches will shift to the grim task of collecting the dead. Women expecting a child will give birth in temporary shelters and refugee camps. Cancer patients will receive no therapy. (WHO)
CADIS International is committed to mobilizing personnel and resources to support the initiatives of our provinces and delegations. We join the Capuchin Friars of Emilia-Romagna present in Turkey.
We mobilized immediately to respond to the ongoing emergency, joining the Capuchin Friars present in the affected areas. The CADIS Emergency Fund raised funds to send to the missionary stations of Antioch and Mersin. In those territories there are two missionary stations where the Capuchin friars have been part of the local community for many years and are a reliable presence for the population. One is Antioch, a city devastated by the earthquake. The other is Mersin, farther from the epicenter and therefore with less damage. The help planned for them in this emergency is economic: about eighty people were immediately hosted in the premises of the Mersin convent and need to be provided for. Over time, we will look to invest in other ways, for example by helping to rebuild buildings. Updates from the intervention sites describe a reality that is still fragile and in the process of being organized. The Capuchins are present in Mersin and Antioch, two areas severely affected by the earthquake and where, recently, Fr Lorenzo Motti, the provincial superior of the Capuchins of Emilia-Romagna, went for an inspection. The Mersin convent, following the earthquake tremors, suffered cracks that were assessed as not dangerous by an engineer who carried out the inspection. About 80 people are hosted in the Mersin fraternity, including about ten children and teenagers and a 2-month-old baby who lost his father. Two Turkish sisters of the Incarnate Word, Sister Diba and Sister Ancilla, helped organize the spaces made fully available to guests and manage the emergency. In Mersin, in addition to Fr Roshan, guardian and parish priest, and Fr Mariusz, who are part of the fraternity, Fr Royston and Fr Francis, who were in Antioch, now also reside.
The help given to survivors includes clothing and full meals. Everything necessary for a comfortable stay has been purchased. Guests have washing machines, refrigerators, and what they need to be as self-sufficient as possible. All meals are eaten together in the convent hall. At first, the Catholic community of Mersin helped with meal preparation. Later, shifts were organized among the guests so that they feel useful and can do something to distract themselves. The support survivors are receiving is not only material but also spiritual: a meeting was organized in which they shared what they have experienced and are experiencing. The friars of the community live together with the earthquake victims and are always available for all needs and emergencies and to manage inevitable tensions. In Antioch, however, the situation appears more dramatic and the convent has almost completely collapsed. Rescue teams have begun to clear some areas of the center, but it is difficult to estimate the time needed, which will certainly be long.
Once the emergency phase, still ongoing, is over, a long-term project will be considered to ensure safety and stability for the earthquake victims. Some families have been offered hospitality in Selcuk (Ephesus/Izmir), where the local Catholic community gathers, and in Izmir. A family with a small child is already hosted in the Capuchin convent in Istanbul. An important consideration concerns the drafting and implementation of a long-term project to help families build a future that goes beyond the immediate emergency. Together with Caritas, a discussion will be started to activate a resilience project to save and reorganize the small Christian communities present in the area, to prevent them from dispersing. The Capuchins are very grateful for the generosity of the people and continually make their presence felt in the areas affected by the earthquake through their contribution.
.jpeg "CADIS' response for Bohol and Negros affected by Typhoon Odette")
