Last month an earthquake devastated parts of Turkey and Syria and millions of people still need adequate shelter and sanitation. An appeal for $1 billion to assist survivors is only 10% funded, hampering efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis, a United Nations official said Monday.
More than 46,000 people in Turkey and around 6,000 people in Syria were killed in the quake.
About 2 million survivors are currently in temporary accommodations or have been evacuated from the earthquake-devastated region, according to Turkish government figures. Around 1.5 million people have been settled in tents while another 46,000 have been moved to container houses. Others are living in dormitories and guesthouses, the government said, according to an AP news source.
“Given the number of people that have been relocated, given the number of people that have been injured and given the level of the devastation, we do have extensive humanitarian needs now,” according to the U.N.
Last month, the U.N. made a flash appeal for $397.6 million to help Syrian quake victims — just over half of which has come in — and a $1 billion appeal for victims in Turkey to cover emergency needs, such as food, protection, education water and shelter, for three months.
With over 230,000 buildings destroyed or damaged, The World Bank estimated that the earthquake caused $34.2 billion in direct physical damages.
Water contamination is of particular concern in Syria as the country had already been battling cholera outbreaks before the earthquake.
The United Nations, the International Red Cross and Amnesty International are taking the lead in organizing and providing assistance to the people and areas affected.
About the writer: Matthew Woodruff is an Independent Journalist and Author who believes in Freely Accessible, Honest and Open Reporting. Visit at MattWoodruffAuthor.com.
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