Tech volunteers rush to rescue Turkey earthquake survivors

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New projects are being developed all the time, as more volunteers join with ideas and take on open assignments. But it is not possible to direct every volunteer to a project. “Too many people have come forward at one time to help, and we have different working styles. It was sometimes difficult to organize everyone who had a role,” explains Kelesh.

So far, they are only focusing on Turkey, but they are trying to figure out how to communicate with Syrian NGOs and are looking to recruit volunteers who can help localize their projects into Arabic.

The submissions have received over 100,000 hits to date, and the feedback has been encouraging. “We receive messages that people have been found under rubble and rescued because of these apps,” says Kelech. “This is the real impact we were hoping for.”

Open source technology has become a feature of disaster response over the past two decades. IT volunteers in Sri Lanka used open source software to coordinate relief efforts in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In 2010, online volunteers used crowd mapping software to write needs in real time on public maps during the earthquake in Haiti, in part using technology developed in Kenya to map post-election violence in 2007. Similar tools were used in United States in response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In 2015, more than 3,000 digital volunteers used open source software to create maps of communities affected after a massive earthquake in Nepal. The American Red Cross and the Nepalese government made extensive use of the information in providing relief operations.

“We’ve seen over the years the willingness of technologists to help when a crisis strikes,” says Amanda Levinson, co-founder of NeedsList, a crisis response software company. But, she adds, the need is partly driven by a lack of innovation in the humanitarian system. “The traditional humanitarian and disaster relief sectors are aging and isolated and cannot keep up with the pace of crises,” she says. “We need new solutions.”

Turkey is home to a thriving tech scene, with a wealth of startups and entrepreneurs. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted an investment rush in the country’s technology sector, both domestically and internationally, as stay-at-home orders have shifted investment focus to industries such as e-commerce, delivery services, digital transformation, online gaming and mobile phones.

For some developers who have joined the industry to help out, the motivation to help is very personal. Among the dead and injured, Kelech says, are members of the families and communities of their colleagues. He admits that it was stressful for everyone, including himself. “I can’t think straight,” he says, “and my brain is always on the idea that people are stuck in concrete.”

But Ozvatav says working on these projects has helped them feel useful. “For us, developers far from disaster zones, we didn’t feel comfortable just passively listening to the news,” he says.

The current emergency is likely to last for weeks, and the aftershocks could continue to affect Turkey and Syria for years to come. Both countries face the huge task of rebuilding. But Kilic and Ozvatave say the community is growing as volunteers sign up with each passing hour.

“The technology is incredibly powerful,” says Kelish. “We can tap into millions of data points to find the locations of those who are suffering, and in most cases we can do this before most NGOs can mobilize their next step. If we combine technology with the work of rescue teams, we can help people faster. Using this technology, we may end up saving more lives.”

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