North-West Syria: Situation Report (19 February 2023) [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

• More than 4,500 deaths and 8,300 injuries have been reported in north-west Syria, as of 18 February, since an earthquake of 7.7 magnitude struck Türkiye on 6 February.

• As of 18 February, more than 9,600 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed in north-west Syria, rendering at least 11,000 people homeless.

• Shelter, winterization and multi-purpose cash needs were identified as top priorities among displaced populations, according to a rapid assessment conducted by REACH.

• As of 19 February, a total of 197 trucks loaded with aid provided by six UN agencies have so far crossed to north-west Syria since the earthquakes.

• On 19 February, five trucks with aid, including health, education and WASH supplies, provided by UNICEF crossed through the Bab Al-Salam border-crossing.

FEATURE

2023 Earthquake: Situation Overview in North-west Syria

Mohammed's home is one of some 1,700 buildings in north-west Syria that were fully damaged by the 6 February earthquakes. At least 100 people have died in the building.

As of 18 February, the death toll in north-west Syria has risen to more than 4,500. At least 1,000 deaths have been recorded in the city of Jandairis alone, in the Afrin district, according to local partners, making it one of the worst affected areas in the country.

"I felt the shaking and smell of dust. I was sure that the upper floor would collapse on us," recalled Mohammed the moment the disaster struck at 4:17 am. His children quickly ran from the second floor. Another building crumbled down in front of their eyes as they stepped outside.

Two weeks after the earthquakes, Mohamed now lives in a tent with his wife and seven children in the garden of a non-governmental organization (NGO). The office of Bahar, one of some 30 Syrian NGOs funded by OCHA's Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF) in 2022, has been his neighbor.

"I lost 15 relatives from that evening," shared Mohammed noting that it was "raining, thundering, and cold". Three of his brothers and their families were victims of the same collapsed building -- only two people survived. Meanwhile, at least 20 neighbors passed away in another building next door.

Mohammed used to work in an olive refinery, a common stint given Afrin's reputation with olives, but is now unemployed. Since the earthquakes, his family gets by with food support provided by NGOs.

Even in the most difficult circumstances, he remains committed to his community. "We cooperate with each other as neighbors. If I have two sacks of bread and my neighbor has none, then I would share my portion," said Mohammed.

On 18 February, a UN delegation led by the Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim on surge visited Jandairis to meet with local partners at Bahar's office as well as hospitals and clinics supported by the Syria Relief and Development (SRD) organization. The delegation was comprised of representatives from IOM, OCHA, UNDSS, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO.

OCHA's Head of Office Sanjana Quazi described Jandairis as "a city that is almost wiped out." "As the United Nations, we are doing an interagency mission and we are here to see how we can help," she said in a video released following the mission.

Shelters, winterization and multi-purpose cash have been identified as priority needs in north-west Syria, according to a REACH Rapid Assessment. Health needs continue to be dire with at least 20 per cent of 604 assessed communities having no access to healthcare.

A health worker at the Al-Refah hospital recounted the early days post-earthquakes: "Since the beginning, we tried to receive all the injured people since it was the only functioning hospital in Jandairis. We tried to help everyone with our simple capabilities."

During the visit, medicines and trauma kits provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) were distributed to a hospital and clinics supported by SRD and the Bahar Primary Health Center. Some of these items have been pre-positioned while other batches have crossed through Bab Al-Hawa from Türkiye.

The UN continues to scale up its cross-border aid operation. As of 19 February, the UN has sent nearly 200 trucks loaded with aid -- ranging from food and shelters to cholera testing kits and high-energy biscuits - through two border-crossings (Bab Al-Hawa and Bab Al-Salam). Distributions on the ground are on-going by local partners.

Nearly 700,000 were reached with bread support since the first day of the earthquakes. More than 270,000 people residing in 88 reception centers and most affected communities were reached with WASH supplies, critical in mitigating cholera risks. As of February 18, more than 14,000 individuals have been reached with tents provided by the humanitarian community.

The UN is also rapidly mobilizing resources. OCHA's Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF) has so far received pledged contributions aiming to respond to humanitarian needs in north-west Syria including the earthquake response thanks to the generous support of Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

However, more support is needed given the magnitude of this crisis. The UN and humanitarian partners are calling for US$397.6 million in a Flash Appeal for Syria launched on 14 February.