A powerful 7.2 earthquake struck eastern Turkey October 23, killing more than 300 people
and injuring more than 1,000 — with more casualties expected as rescue teams continue
to find both injured and deceased trapped beneath the rubble. Within hours of
the disaster, AmeriCares connected with our partners in Turkey who specialize
in emergency medicine to assess needs and prepare a targeted response to help survivors
of the deadly quake.
An emergency
medical module with supplies to treat 15,000 injured survivors stands ready
to depart from AmeriCares’ Amsterdam warehouse if needed to support medical
teams deployed in the hard-hit province of Van.
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The earthquake rocked the eastern province of Van,
located along the border with Iran, where close to 300 rescue teams from across
Turkey are searching for wounded survivors. In the hard-hit city of Ercis, roadways
have crumbled and approximately 80 buildings have collapsed. More than 200
aftershocks have rattled the area, leaving residents frightened to return home.
Many remained huddled near campfires as overnight temperatures neared freezing.
AmeriCares
Helped Train 2,200 Emergency Physicians in Turkey
Preparedness drives a successful emergency response,
and AmeriCares collaborated with the Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey
(EMAT) to train of over 2,200 Turkish emergency department physicians across all
regions of the country. Indeed over 120 physicians participated in AmeriCares
sponsored emergency medicine courses held in towns located just 2 and 5 hours respectively
from the Van earthquake’s impact zone.
Conducted with the
Ronald Reagan Institute for Emergency Medicine at George Washington University,
this 24-month training initiative consisted of 42 five-day courses covering
topics highly relevant to the current crisis including: treating trauma
injuries, medical disaster planning, surge capacity for emergency department
operations, and effective communications during disaster. While the two-year
program concluded in December 2008, the benefits for disaster-struck communities
are realized at times just like these.
As the Turkish response unfolds over these early
days of the disaster, and the cold winter looms for people who have lost their
homes, AmeriCares is engaged with partners to provide assistance where needed.
Earthquakes take place frequently in Turkey, a
country crisscrossed by fault lines. In 1999, AmeriCares delivered emergency
aid to the country after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck, killing 15,000 people.
