The inception of this website was created to educate People – on the two tragic earthquakes that hit Turkey in 2023. Its aim is to spread information about the suffering individuals face as a product of the destruction and to serve as a reference of links and other helpful sources to donate and continue to share their stories.

All information has been gathered from individual documentation and outside sources of the events. All sources are linked on the Citations page for any outsourced information.

Basic Information about the Earthquake:
In the early morning of February 6th, 2023, Southern Turkey experienced two catastrophic earthquakes, the first measuring 7.8 and the second 7.5 on the Richter scale.
Individuals in the Hatay province felt the first of the two powerful and destructive earthquakes at around 4:00 AM, with the second following it only hours later at 1:30 PM (Omer, 2024). During their briefing note on the earthquake and flooding impact in the Hatay province, ACAPS, or The Assesement Capacities Project, reported that the seismic shocks had tragically displaced approximately 774,500 individuals in the area, among a total provincial population of two million, which notably included 350,000 Syrian refugees‌ this calculates to about 39% of the population.
The epicenter of these earthquakes was situated near Gaziantep, a Turkish city approximately 150 miles north of the Syrian border, however, the regions of Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Matalya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa also felt the effects of the quake (and we’re consequently affected by the seismic activity). Similarly, the tremors reverberated across neighboring countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt, all of which experienced the far-reaching consequences of the disaster.
According to staffers at DirectRelief, an estimated 80,000 Red Crescent staff and volunteers had mobilized to provide aid and support to those affected by the disaster, while other organizations collected donations and distributed goods to the displaced and injured (2023). However, despite these substantial efforts, not enough aid has been anticipated and observed, and after about a year of efforts to rebuild the area, support and attention have dwindled. Thus, this project began.

Statistics:
In the aftermath of the earthquakes, the devastation across Turkey and the surrounding areas is staggering, with the following statistics being reported across media channels and a plethora of news sources:
Care Interantional cited that at least 500,000 buildings were damaged or completely demolished in 11 provinces in Turkey, while northwest Syria witnessed the complete or partial destruction of at least 10,600 buildings (2023).
According to the World Bank’s Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation Report, Turkey suffered direct damages of an astounding $34.2 billion, with residential structures suffering the most at $18 billion, or 53% of the overall damage (2023). 
According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, recovery and reconstruction costs following the earthquakes are predicted to potentially double the initial estimate, underscoring the immense economic burden faced by affected regions (2023).
CDP also cites that about 40% of households in Turkish areas hit by earthquakes already live below the poverty line prior to the event. That number is expected to rise to over 50% after the tragedy (2023).
Turkey is also faced with enormous logistical and environmental hurdles as it attempts to dispose of at least 10 times more debris than it did during the previous big earthquake in 1999 (Dutta, 2023).
The financial burden on the impacted areas is exacerbated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reporting $6.7 billion in losses and damages to crops, livestock, and agricultural infrastructure in Turkey (2023).

Description of the Earthquake’s Effects:
Despite all of the emergency services and outside donations and help, the country and surrounding areas are still being detrimentally affected.
Following the earthquake, which precipitated a dire crisis in living conditions, at least 1.5 million individuals have been reported by UN sources as homeless. The biggest complications have come with the shortages of safe spaces where the victims may reside until better conditions can be provided after more than 160,000 buildings had collapsed or were badly damaged during and/or after the quakes according to the International Medical Corps (2023). The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also estimates at least 1.5 million people are still inside the quake zone, which further complicates rescue and safety efforts (2023).
Children are unable to access education and student services because of wide-scale shutdowns and structural damage to school buildings. However, through donations, students have received school supplies (notebooks, pencils, markers, etc.) which have facilitated learning outside of classroom settings.

Impact of Donations and Volunteers:
Some examples of donations and volunteer groups that have already made a lasting impact on those affected by the earthquakes include:
DirectRelief staffers estimated 80,000 Red Crescent staff and volunteers moved to provide aid and support to those affected (2023).
Funds from DirectRelief also committed $11,877,002 to improvements in the health and community sectors of the individuals affected by the disaster, also donating over $6 million of financial assistance to organizations (2023).
Volunteers from the BTF, or Bridge to Turkey Fund, have raised over $10 million and received thousands of donations greatly impacting the victims in 2023. The organization continues to receive donations that aid continued efforts in supporting victims.

Information of the Volunteer Groups:
Some things readers can do to help the victims of the 2023 earthquake in Turkey and neighboring areas:
Read up on the sources provided on our citations page, but also do personal investigative research. We have introduced you to the Earthquake, but there are so many stories and individual accounts you can read up on.
Donate money to https://www.bridgetoturkiye.org 
You can also donate the following items to https://www.bridgetoturkiye.org 
Clothing
Hygiene products
Feminine hygiene products
Baby/toddler products: diapers, baby food, etc.
Shelter items: heaters, blankets, tents, mattresses, etc.