The UN warned this Monday that only 10% of the roughly $1.32 billion it is asking for is guaranteed to help with the “expanded humanitarian needs” of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
A month after the earthquake, hundreds of thousands of people are still in need of shelter and sanitation, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkey Alvaro Rodriguez said in statements to the Associated Press news agency. “Given the number of people resettled, the number of people injured and the level of devastation, we now have extensive humanitarian needs”said Alvaro Rodriguez.
Last month, the United Nations requested about €372 million to help earthquake victims in Syria and about €1 billion for victims in Turkey, to meet needs for food, protection, water and shelter for three months. “The reality is that if we don’t go beyond the 10% we already have, the UN and its partners won’t be able to respond to humanitarian needs”emphasized the coordinator. “We have a number of counties where up to 25% of the population – we’re talking about half a million people – have been resettled. So the challenge we face now is how are we going to get these communities with food, shelter and water? “he wondered.
Alvaro Rodriguez said tents are still necessary, although they are not “the optimal solution” to protect the victims. He also reported cases of scabies outbreaks due to poor sanitary conditions.
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, followed by several aftershocks. More than 50,000 people died as a result of the tragedy.
According to World Bank estimates, the earthquake has already caused about €32 billion in damage, equivalent to 4% of Turkey’s gross domestic product in 2021.
Source: DN
