Countries, organizations rush to provide aid to quake-hit Türkiye

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - As Türkiye continues to heal the wounds of the deadly earthquakes that shook its southern regions one month ago, over 90 international organizations and friendly countries rushed to Türkiye's call for help.

Teams from Azerbaijan, among the first countries to send rescue teams and relief supplies after the devastating quakes, continue to help with search and rescue efforts.

According to diplomatic sources, 101 countries offered assistance and more than 11,000 search and rescue teams came from 90 countries shortly after the quakes jolted Türkiye.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Feb. 27 announced that 30 field hospitals were set-up by 28 countries, and the country received more than 130,000 tents and 1,168 temporary housing containers.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said monetary funding of 24.9 million AZN ($14.6 million) was transferred to Türkiye as of Feb. 21. Azerbaijan also delivered humanitarian aid to Türkiye via 15 airplanes, 395 trucks, and 25 railroad cars.

The country has sent nearly 900 search and rescue personnel, over 1.4 million medicine and medical supplies, set up two field hospitals, and built nearly 200 mobile container homes for the quake victims.

The Turkish Embassy in Kazakhstan's Astana tweeted that more than $15 million funds from the earthquake aid account of Kazakhstan was transferred to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency to help the quake-hit country.

Meanwhile, the members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) sent a total of 1,706 search and rescue and medical personnel, 53 rescue dogs, more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid, and set-up nine field hospitals for the area affected by the earthquake, according to the organization's website.

Additionally, over $5 million was donated to Türkiye for the quake victims by the OTS governments and citizens.

The OTS, formerly called the Turkic Council, is an international organization comprising prominent independent Turkic countries that work together to elevate relations and the union among themselves. Its members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, while Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have observer status.

Over 1,650 rescuers and 110 search dogs were dispatched by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to support the search and rescue operations in Türkiye. According to EU records, at least 20 bloc members have offered shelter items, medical equipment, food, and clothes via the mechanism.

In terms of humanitarian assistance, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said on March 1 that the bloc has allocated more than €8 million (over $8.5 million) in humanitarian aid to meet the most urgent needs in affected provinces and is looking for further funding from other parts of the Commission.

Separately, the German Foreign Ministry on Feb. 23 said Germany had "committed 41 million euros in humanitarian assistance" to Türkiye by Feb. 21.

"Around eight million of that is for material supplies alone," it said, adding: "The Federal Agency for Technical Relief is already delivering 343 tons of such supplies funded by the Federal Foreign Office."

Responding to Türkiye's call for aid, the UK government said it immediately provided a team of 77 search and rescue experts with specialist equipment.

Separately, the UK-based 15-member Disasters Emergency Committee's Türkiye-Syria earthquake appeal has so far raised a staggering amount of £100 million (over $120 million).

In Spain, more than 8,000 municipalities, each, raised monetary aid in amounts ranging from €1,000 to €80,000.

Also, Türkiye's Belgrade Embassy in Serbia on March 3 released a statement, saying Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was among the first heads of state to issue a message of condolence and ordered a team of 51 people for search and rescue with a trained dog to participate in relief operations.

According to the embassy, more than 200 tons of in-kind aid collected in Serbia was sent to Türkiye, and the Serbian government also provided financial aid worth €1 million ($1.06 million), while civil campaigns collected €300,000 ($318,000).

Meanwhile, Pakistan was also among the first countries to send search and rescue teams to Türkiye as the government immediately dispatched a 33-member Pakistan Army Urban Search and Rescue Team on Feb. 6.

On Feb. 28, a Pakistan Navy ship carrying 1,000 tons of relief supplies, 1,800 large family-sized winterized tents, and 29,000 blankets sailed from the port city of Karachi to Türkiye.

Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority sent over 10,000 winterized tents, 745 tons of relief assistance goods, and more than 33,000 blankets to affected areas via air and land routes.

According to the country's report, a total of 26 flights, including 10 special chartered aircraft, were utilized to transport such relief items.

Preliminary reports received by Anadolu show that a number of Arab states have also pledged their monetary support to quake-hit Türkiye and Syria as the UAE will provide $150 million, Qatar $70 million, Kuwait $30 million, and Algeria $30 million.

On March 2, the Turkish Embassy in Lebanon's Beirut said approximately 2 tons of in-kind aid donated by Turkish citizens, associations, and Lebanese citizens were transferred to the regions affected by the earthquake disaster.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati had also ordered a search and rescue team of 83 people to be immediately dispatched to Türkiye on Feb. 6.

On Feb. 24, Canada responded to the UN call for more aid, and announced another CAN$30 million ($22 million) for those affected by the quakes in Türkiye and Syria.

The funds come from $20 million in direct relief, and the government will match $10 million in donations to the Humanitarian Coalition, International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a statement.

Separately, the US has announced a total of $185 million in humanitarian assistance to Türkiye and Syria following the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, that have killed more than 45,000 in Türkiye and 6,000 in Syria, and affected millions of others.

Meanwhile, the UN has released $50 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to jumpstart the response, according to its website.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres previously voiced organization's commitment to do more and launched a $1 billion flash appeal to provide life-saving assistance to 5.2 million people in Türkiye through April on Feb. 16.

The UNFPA launched an appeal for the earthquake response, requesting $19.7 million. According to UNFPA's report published on March 2, only 23% ($4.5 million) of the appeal, which aims to reach 1.5 million individuals needing life-saving humanitarian support, has been funded so far.

On Feb. 14, Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said the organization "dispatched 3 charter flights packed with emergency kits and medical supplies destined for both Syria and Türkiye – enough to treat 400 000 people as well as conduct 120 000 urgent surgeries – and more supplies are on the way."

Additionally to deploying technical surge teams and emergency medical teams, Kluge said the WHO "released 16 million dollars from our Contingency Fund for Emergencies to help people in need."