Turkey & Syria Earthquakes: What Happened, What Can You Do?

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What Happened?

On February 6, a location in southeast Turkey near the Syrian border faced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, with multiple aftershocks across the region. On the same day, just hours later, another earthquake of similar magnitude hit, resulting in the deaths of over 46,000 people and endless amounts of destruction and damage. Days later, on February 20, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck, furthering the already significant amount of destruction.

In the aftermath of these earthquakes, hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced with no shelter or homes. Throughout Turkey and Syria, schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, and more have been left in ruins. Additionally, healthcare has become much less accessible, and over 350,000 pregnant women have not been able to access the essentials they need.

It has been over a month since the earthquakes hit, and the residents of Turkey and Syria are still suffering. The people that were fortunate enough to survive the earthquakes are left without homes and are forced to sleep in shelters or even outside. Children are facing many risks in the aftermath, such as more exposure to waterborne diseases, lack of access to schooling, and more vulnerability to abuse.

How Did This Happen?

Turkey is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. More specifically, Turkey is located at a point where tectonic plates meet. In this instance, the Arabian plate was moving north and collided with the Eurasian plate, ultimately pressuring the Anatolian plate. The friction from the plates is what caused these devastating earthquakes to occur.

What Can You Do?

It is imperative that everyone does their part in order to help the survivors in Turkey and Syria recover. Below are links to donation sites working to provide the earthquake victims with the aid they need.