Broken Soil, Political Turmoil
On Feb. 6, the Kahramanmaras earthquake struck southeast Turkey and northwest Syria. This earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, was followed by around 1,600 aftershocks and tremors. The death toll surpassed 45,000 people on Feb. 17 and is continuing to rise due to more injuries and discovered bodies. Reports also show that over 87,000 people were injured and 47,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged between Turkey and Syria (Consumer News and Business Channel). The earthquake also caused damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure. In response to the earthquake, both Turkish and Syrian authorities deployed emergency services and rescue workers to the affected areas. The Turkish government announced that it would provide financial assistance to the injured, and the military deployed helicopters and other resources to the region to assist with rescue and recovery efforts. They also set up field hospitals and provided medical aid to those injured in the earthquake. The assistance includes tents, blankets and other supplies to the targeted regions. Senior Jessica Espinoza feels that Turkey and Syria should not be the only nations providing support after the earthquake.
“The earthquakes occurring in Syria, Turkey and other countries affected by these disasters are devastating and saddening,” Espinoza said. “The world is in so much conflict and has been for centuries. We are at the point where we are losing society and our Earth. It is extremely important to unite and work collaboratively for the same goals. This is a critical time. We need to heal, rebuild and move forward.”
Making recovery efforts complicated is the political tensions between Syria and Turkey – for several years, Turkey has been involved in Syria’s civil war through military operations in northeast Syria to combat the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Following the earthquake, 40,000 refugees from the civil war living in Turkey returned to their homes in northwest Syria to contact relatives caught in the disaster or send family members back to Syria whose homes in Turkey were destroyed. At the Turkish Cilvegozu border crossing, hundreds of Syrians lined up to cross, starting on Feb. 20 (CNBC). In Syria, the earthquake and its aftershocks mainly hit Idlib, the area most ravaged by the country’s ongoing civil war and one of its last rebel-held territories, leading to concerns that the earthquake may exacerbate the existing political unrest in the region. Despite the ongoing conflict between the two countries, their governments are cooperating closely in responding to the earthquake. Turkish and Syrian officials held talks to coordinate their efforts and ensure that aid and resources were distributed to the areas most in need. However, there were also reports of tensions between the countries’ forces in the aftermath of the earthquake. Turkish military officials accused Syrian forces of preventing Turkish rescue workers from entering Syrian territory to assist with the recovery efforts. The accused officials denied these allegations, stating that they were working closely with Turkish officials to coordinate their response (Middle East Eye). Junior Ashima Bhatia feels as though there could have been a better response to the earthquake from both governments.
“Both parties could have handled the humanitarian crisis that this earthquake caused in a more efficient way,” Bhatia said. “As an immediate response, they could have modified sanctions related to earthquake relief. Modifying sanctions would increase financial flow, which would allow Turkey and Syria to better combat the crisis.”
The Kahramanmaras earthquake is similar to a previous 1999 earthquake in Turkey. Around 17,000 people were reportedly killed in the earthquake, although the actual number was much greater (Cable News Network). This was partly due to the Turkish government mismanaging the earthquake response: president Erdogan, who was mayor of Istanbul at the time, was among the loudest in calling out those responsible. Many believed that the previous earthquake would have inspired the government to be more prepared for future disasters, but as demonstrated by the Kahramanmaras earthquake, this did not happen as its response was too slow. The lack of immediate military response led to the neglect of repairing critical infrastructure necessary for rescue efforts. Furthermore, the civilian office responsible for emergency relief, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, is considered poorly managed, under-funded and uncoordinated (The Middle East Institute). However, on the Syrian side of the border, the Syrian government responded quickly to the earthquake, with the Syrian Red Crescent Society mobilizing volunteers and aid to the affected areas. The Syrian government also provided medical assistance and sent ambulances to transport the injured to hospitals (MEI). Senior Michele Chan, a board member of Peninsula’s National Honor Society which recently held a fundraiser helping the Turkish and Syrian governments give relief for the earthquake, hopes for an international response to the disaster. “There should be countries open to helping with temporary rehoming, as well as providing any kind of health care assistance to these hospitals and providing medical kits for everyone to use,” Chan said. “[The degree of assistance] would all be up to the countries on how much they should spend on this endeavor, but I would hope that they are involved in helping fund at least some repairs to buildings and [giving] some money to the families.”
