How to help victims of the 7.8 earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Correction: This story incorrectly summarized the current relief efforts by the group Humanity & Inclusion. We regret the error.

Turkey and Syria were rocked early Monday morning by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by several severe aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were destroyed in the shaking, trapping people in the rubble; thousands of victims have been confirmed dead overall in both countries. And those numbers are expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.

The quake could be felt as far away as Cairo, but the center was a major fault line in the region of Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, north of Gaziantep and near the border of Syria, whose infrastructure has already been wracked by years of civil war.

READ MORE: What to know about the massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria

“Health facilities are impacted and overwhelmed, and medical personnel in northern Syria [are] working around the clock to respond to the huge numbers of wounded arriving to the facilities,” Sebastien Gay, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières head in Syria, said in a statement.

Residents and rescuers search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings following an earthquake in the village of Besnaya in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on the border with Turkey, on Feb. 6, 2022. Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/ AFP via Getty Images

Angela Kearney, a UNICEF representative in Syria, said there is a sense of panic there and noted how “Many people, including children, are displaced and remain outside in streets and open areas.”

World leaders are sending aid to the region. Britain said that it would send an emergency medical team and dozens of search-and-rescue specialists with equipment and dogs to Turkey, the Associated Press reported. In a tweet, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed “full solidarity” for Turkey in the aftermath of the earthquake and said, “allies are mobilizing support now.”

READ MORE: Deadly earthquake worsens suffering of Syrians displaced by war

A child watches as people sleep inside a bus following an earthquake in Antakya, Turkey. Photo by Umit Bektas/ Reuters

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria. I have directed my team to continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with Turkiye and provide any and all needed assistance,” President Joe Biden said in a tweet.

The quake is the worst in the region since at least 1999, when a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the western Turkish city of Izmit, killing more than 17,000 people.

Ways to donate

UNICEF is on the ground in Turkey and Syria helping children and families in the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes.

The Turkish Red Crescent is accepting donations and providing nutritional services and blood supplies for those affected or wounded by the earthquakes. “We invite our citizens to donate blood,” said Dr. Kerem Kınık, the organization’s president.

Humanity & Inclusion plans to expand its team in Syria to help provide mental health and rehabilitation services and will be deploying some rehab specialists to Turkey aid emergency care victims. It is accepting donations here.

Mercy Corps is working to aid those affected in northwest Syria, a place of limited infrastructure where 1.8 million people are living in camps after being displaced by years of armed conflict.

“We’re primarily looking at shelter as the immediate need, because, within northwest Syria, a lot of the infrastructure is damaged, houses have collapsed, apartment blocks have collapsed,” Kieren Barnes, Mercy Corps’ Syria country director, said on Monday’s PBS NewsHour. “We are in probably the worst part of winter. The next few days are going to be extremely cold.”

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are working with health authorities to provide medical aid. To donate, click here.

The Syrian American Medical Society is providing urgent medical care. Many hospitals in the region were already stretched thin, and others were damaged by the earthquakes. You can donate here or by texting EarthquakeSyria to 71777.

Social justice organization CARE International is working to assess the most urgent needs in the area. Teams and partners are trying to deliver blankets, food, mattresses, tents and other non-food items to people in need amid harsh weather conditions, according to the organization. Donate here.

The Syrian Emergency Task Force is responding to the emergency by providing water, tents, food, blankets, medicine, and other supplies necessary for enduring the extreme cold. Donations are being accepted by SETF to help continue their work in the region and in response to this latest crisis in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

The nonprofit aid organization International Medical Corps is also accepting donations to make medical care and supplies available as part of the disaster response.

How to avoid charity scams

• Determine whether the organization, nonprofit or group has a proven track record of delivering aid to those in need.
• Identify local initiatives and efforts that are based in the areas most affected by the natural disaster.
• Beware of phone calls and emails soliciting donations.
• Avoid unfamiliar agencies and websites. Scammers sometimes create websites that look like donation pages after major tragedies.

Dan Cooney contributed to this story