Emergency Earthquake Response & Relief

Over 100 hours after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and several large aftershocks caused mass devastation in both Turkey and Syria, there seemed to be no hope left of finding any survivors still in the rubble.

Then, in Iskenderun, rescuers pulled out a family of six — all alive — and reunited them with their son, who wasn’t in the building at the time of the collapse. Rescue workers, weary from the physically and emotionally grueling work over the past five days, embraced each other and cried at the sight of the family’s survival and reunification.

The death toll has climbed to more than 22,700, with close to 83,000 injured. Rescue teams are still working to pull out any remaining survivors, but efforts are now starting to shift to helping the millions now left without homes. Convoy of Hope is committed to sending aid and providing hope amid devastation.

Relief supplies from Convoy of Hope are en route to survivors. Contacts on the ground are finding out what the specific needs are within multiple communities. Clothing, tents, sleeping bags, diapers, baby formula, and fuel are among the most urgent items needed. Convoy teams are working hard to best deliver and distribute relief supplies to those devastated and left vulnerable by the earthquake.

This particular earthquake was a strike-slip earthquake, which is the type of quake that occurs because two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. In this case, the Arabian Plate and the Anatolian Plate slid past each other, creating an earthquake with a sizable range.

“Families are without heat. Many of them had to leave their homes with just the outfit they had on, so it’s a very challenging situation for many families,” said Convoy of Hope’s Ryan Grabill. “Convoy of Hope is working hard to provide food and water, hygiene supplies, and shelter supplies.