Hostname: page-component-6587cd75c8-67gbf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-24T04:43:29.396Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Turkish Earthquake: Adapting a Relevant Medical Relief Response Mode

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2024

Avi Benov ,
Ofer Merin ,
Tomer Koler ,
Güneş Tümer Ezgi  and
Elon Glassberg
Avi Benov
Affiliation:
The Surgeon General’s Headquarters, Israel Defense Forces, Tel Hashomer, Israel The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
Ofer Merin*
Affiliation:
The Surgeon General’s Headquarters, Israel Defense Forces, Tel Hashomer, Israel Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Tomer Koler
Affiliation:
The Surgeon General’s Headquarters, Israel Defense Forces, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Güneş Tümer Ezgi
Affiliation:
Iznik District Governmental Hospital, Turkey
Elon Glassberg
Affiliation:
The Surgeon General’s Headquarters, Israel Defense Forces, Tel Hashomer, Israel The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
*
Corresponding author: Ofer Merin; Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. Over 50 000 people were confirmed dead, and nearly 130 000 were injured. The Turkish government was leading the response there through coordination by the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD). A massive search and rescue operation continued, and humanitarian partners were rapidly ramping up efforts to provide life-saving assistance. Over 53 000 Turkish emergency workers were deployed to the regions affected by the earthquakes. More than 100 nations and international organizations mounted a massive, unprecedented response. Among them, the State of Israel dispatched 2 missions, with the first on the ground the same day as the earthquake. Under guidance of the local health authorities, it was determined that the most effective approach would be to support an existing medical facility rather than establishing a standalone field operation. Teams responding to disaster zones should arrive only after a formal request and deploy after full coordination with the local country. The devastated country understands best what is really needed. Deploying in full collaboration has an advantage of better cultural understanding and long-term effect in restoring the local needs.

Keywords

earthquake, EMTdisaster responseWHO standards in disaster zones
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 18 , 2024 , e305
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

(2023). https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/19/turkey-syria-earthquakes-death-toll/Google Scholar
AFAD: 29 bin 605 kişi hayatını kaybetti" [AFAD: 29 thousand 605 people lost their lives] (in Turkish). TRT 2023. Accessed February 12, 2023.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. (2021). Classification and Minimum Standards for Emergency Medical Teams. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/341857Google Scholar
The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response; 2018 edition, Spere. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/sphere-handbook-humanitarian-charter-and-minimum-standards-humanitarian-response-2018?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzeD829LWgAMVP5GDBx3ZjALnEAAYASAAEgJf9PD_BwEGoogle Scholar
Turkey Earthquake: More Than 5,000 Victims Buried at City’s Mass Cemetery as Mourners Scramble for More Graves. WION. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.wionnews.comGoogle Scholar
Merin, O, Kreiss, Y, Lin, G, et al. Collaboration in response to disaster--Typhoon Yolanda and an integrative model. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(13):1183–1184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
UNDSS Response to a Crisis Following Devastating Earthquakes in Southeast Türkiye. https://www.un.org/es/un-department-safety-and-security/undss-response-crisis-following-devastating-earthquakes-southeastGoogle Scholar
Necip Fazıl City Hospital in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey Was Damaged by the Earthquake. https://bnn.network/breaking-news/climate-environment/necip-fazil-city-hospital-in-kahramanmaras-turkey-was-damaged-by-the-earthquake/Google Scholar