A 6.4 magnitude earthquake and a second measuring 5.8 hit Turkey’s southern province of Hatay on Feb 20. This is on top of the devastation left by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Gaziantep on Feb 6 and another 7.5 earthquake that occurred nine hours later in Kahramanmaras province.
The death toll from Feb 6’s earthquakes in southeastern Turkey is nearly 40,000 and climbing. The destruction zone is 300 miles wide, stretching over ten provinces. At least 500,00 people have lost their homes. Much of the damage and loss of life is due to corruption and greed. Established construction standards were intentionally bypassed to allow construction companies to build cheaper, less secure buildings in a known earthquake zone.
In Antakya, 90% of the buildings are damaged, and 80% have collapsed. Only 1% of the dead bodies in the rubble have been estimated to be recovered. There is a severe shortage of water and electricity in the city. People on the ground do not know if it will be possible, but they estimate that electricity will most likely be restored and maybe at least the street lights will function in one month.
Read more here “The Ancient Turkish city that ceased to exist after the earthquakes” by The Washington Post (February 24, 2023)
Even in this cold weather, the dead bodies are starting to rot and smell. The decomposition situation could have been much worse if the weather had been warmer. Unfortunately, the government cannot keep up, and the work is going very slowly. Theft and looting are rampant in the cities. Please pray for those on the ground to serve wisely and efficiently despite the difficult circumstances.
Dozens of organizations are working hard to meet the urgent needs of people on the ground. Thousands are still waiting at collapsed buildings for the bodies of their loved ones to be recovered from the rubble. And thousands more are fleeing their cities, looking for food and shelter elsewhere.
Aftermath of Earthquake in Diyarbakır, Turkey (Feb 19, 2023)
Projects Derech Avraham is involved in supporting and how to pray:
- Shelter project – in İskenderun, Hatay province, we have supported the completion two mini houses designed by an Israeli builder. We have received a lot of positive responses for this project, and if you would like to support this cause, you can read more here. There is also interest in these shelters being built in other provinces. Please pray for God to bring the finances and hands needed to build shelters for those in the affected region.
- Radio station – One of our Turkish partners has set up a Christian radio station in Antakya to be an encouragement and source of hope to those affected by the Earthquakes. Please pray that this new radio station will bring hope and light to those who hear the good news.
- The Antakya Messianic Church and their witness in the city. Chris Mitchell, a good friend and colleague, the Jerusalem Director for CBN news, featured the leaders of the church H. and E. in a special interview. You can view that segment here. He also released some other film footage from the film crew of the destruction of the earthquake in the week immediately after (click here to view). Please pray for Operation Blessing (the relief arm of CBN) And for God to raise up local believers as anchors of hope at this time in the Hatay province specifically in the ancient city of Antakya, Samandağ, Defne and Iskenderun.
- Supplies from Israel – Local Israeli municipalities together with the National Labor Union collected warm coats and blankets for those affected by the earthquake in Turkey. There has been a surplus of donations, and the municipality passed on two containers of material to a group local Israeli believing humanitarian organization who contacted us and asked if we could find partners on the ground who could receive the material, soon to be sent by boat to Turkey. Please pray that the containers leaving Israel on Sunday February 26 will arrive safely and pass through customs and that our local partners can distribute the resources to those who need them, specifically in some of the most affected areas.
If you would like to support our partnerships on the ground financially, kindly go to our “Donate” page and select the sub-fund “Turkey Earthquake Relief.” All the donations will go directly to Turkey.
(Updated Feb 24, 2023)
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