Turkey-Syria earthquake: Food distributions underway in devastated cities

More than a week after the deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, tens of thousands of people are still left without adequate shelter and food.

Search and rescue teams have been sifting through the mountains of rubble looking for any signs of survivors, while people watch by for any signs of hope.

As people wait to hear news about their loved ones, they have been left to seek makeshift shelter amidst the fragments of buildings, near trees and in open parks. As temperatures drop, there is an urgent need to provide these people with food and warmth.

AMA has been providing daily food distributions, which consist of hot meals, for those affected by the earthquake.

With the death toll now over 40,000 people, specialist teams on the ground are warning against survivors contracting hypothermia due to the cold weather, and people not being able to survive without food and clean water.

One of AMA’s team members on the ground, Omar Hamesh, described the apocalyptic scenes in Hatay, Turkey.

“There are still people under the rubble, and people displaced from their homes, sitting in the streets in the extreme cold weather,” he said. “They have no food and no shelter or blankets. We are here today to assist them and help them, through the provision of food and tents.”

Hamesh urged people watching the events unfold to donate towards AMA’s emergency efforts, in order to help provide essentials.

“We need to uplift them, maintain their dignity and provide them with hope,” he added.

As well as installing insulated tents, AMA is working hard on the ground in Turkey and Syria to assess the needs on a daily basis and provide people with their basic needs.