A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in the early morning hours of February 6, followed by a second powerful quake and more aftershocks, killing more than 5,000 people, injuring many more, collapsing thousands of buildings and posing another humanitarian crisis in a region already struggling with manmade crises from years of war, refugees fleeing conflict and economic instability. It was the strongest earthquake in the region in more than 100 years. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue operations proceed and the winter cold threatens survivors who may be trapped in ruins. Americares is offering assistance to partner organizations in Turkey and Syria and is ready to respond with medicine, relief supplies and emergency funding to help survivors access health services.

Americares is deploying an emergency team to respond to the devastating earthquakes. The team, which will be headed to southern Turkey, is expected to deploy within 24 hours.  READ MORE about our response to the earthquake.

Americares has been providing humanitarian support in the region since 2012, at the outset of the Syrian civil war. Most recently we responded to a cholera outbreak in the region. You can learn more about Americares work with local partners to save lives and improve health here.