Three months after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, thousands are still living in temporary shelters

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Thousands of people are still living in crowded shelters three months after the earthquake devastated parts of Syria and Turkey (Al-Akhbar, February 10).

In Syria, more than 44,200 people are being housed in temporary shelters in three cities, according to reports compiled from a church aid agency. Many also resort to schools, as they did not suffer earthquake damage, but this prevents children from returning to education.

Overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions have also led to a sharp increase in deaths from common illnesses such as influenza and diarrhea, according to a report by the development arm of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, GOPA-DERD. A ten-day cholera vaccination campaign has begun in parts of northwest Syria, vaccinating 1.7 million children.

The earthquake in February was followed by dozens of smaller quakes and aftershocks, killing around 55,000 people and leaving thousands injured and homeless.

GOPA-DERD said the situation in Syria, a country already reeling from a protracted conflict, was dire. People were suffering from soaring food prices – which rose by 121 percent last year – and many medical facilities either damaged or destroyed.

The Middle East Council of Churches has teams in Syria that assess damage to buildings and distribute food and hygiene items, including medicines and medical supplies, to people with disabilities and people with special needs.

The council says: “Every time the Syrians wake up from a new catastrophe, they suffer a new shock, until they are completely exhausted, and they live with memories of the days of prosperity and peace.

When Syria is wounded, the whole world bleeds from grief and pain. How do we heal the wounds of Syria to restore happiness to its people? The earthquake that struck Syria, which had very bad effects on the people of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Jableh, was nothing but a continuation of the tragedies that this country has been experiencing for the past 12 years.

Act Coalition, a coalition in aid of the church, has raised $8.4 million through its Syria appeal, which also includes those affected by the earthquake in Turkey. Its money is going toward providing “winter” tents to help people survive outdoors, psychological treatment, and it’s also reopening bakeries, which are essential to food security.

The alliance said it has helped more than 200,000 people so far, but recovery will take years for most people — and it will be much slower in Syria than in Turkey, a coalition spokesman warned.

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