Case study: 2023 Turkey- Syria Earthquake

Question 1

About

Answer 1

• February 6, 2023
• Magnitude of 7.8, with the epicentre located 37km north-west of the town of Gaziantep in Turkey
• Turkey is a NEE, with well developed emergency response capabilities
• Syria is a LIC with a limited capacity to respond to disaster. It has had over a decade of civil war

Question 2

Causes

Answer 2

• East Anatolian rift: a conservative plate boundary between the Anatolian plate and the Arabian plate.
• Pressure built up between the plates, which deformed the rock, which eventually fractured and large amounts of energy were released.
• The epicentre was located 37km northwest of the town of Gaziantep

Question 3

Primary effects

Answer 3

• Approximately 6650 buildings destroyed
• 50,000 people killed, with over 100,000 more injured
• The estimated cost was $84.1 billion. In Turkey, the estimated costs alone from physical damage was $34.2 billion.
• Key infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities were heavily damaged

Question 4

Secondary effects

Answer 4

• Fires broke out due to ruptured gas lines
• An estimated 1.5 million in Turkey and 5.3 million people in Syria were made homeless
• Severe economic impact due to businesses destroyed
• Spread of disease due to poor healthcare and densely populated shelters
• Aftershocks of up to magnitude 7.5

Question 5

Short term responses

Answer 5

• Australia provided $6.5 million through schemes to help with disaster assistance
• Emergency aid such as food, water and medical supplies were distributed. World charities such as the red cross, Unicef and MSF set up emergency shelters
• 80,000 red Crescent staff worked to provide vital support for 14 million people
• World vision provided 22 000 heaters and gave 10675 shelter kits. They also supported 450 000 people with health and nutrition.
• Local people began to search for survivors in the rubble
• The UN issued a $1 billion appeal to assist five million people in Turkey with food, security, protection and education for three months

Question 6

Long term responses

Answer 6

• The united nations development programme provided $4.5 million in grants to small business.
• The world bank approved $1 billion in financing Turkey’s recovery efforts, for restoring key infrastructure
• Mental health support services have been established to help survivors with trauma and loss
• Both countries are improving earthquake preparedness and response capabilities