February 6, 2023:
It has been 3 weeks since a series of powerful earthquakes struck the Turkish-Syrian border. The first one had a 7.8 magnitude and was recorded as the largest in centuries. Amidst the aftershocks, a 7.5 magnitude quake hit the region in the afternoon. Infrastructures turned into rubbles, leaving a pile of bodies underneath them. The death toll is over 50,000 and still counting. What’s of prime concern is that these quakes won’t be the last this region faces.
The Science behind the Earthquakes
You can take the earth and divide it into several large ‘tectonic plates’. These plates are enormous pieces of earth’s crust that are always moving. Most earthquakes occur in the boundaries of these plates. If you look under the visible surface of the Turkish-Syrian border, you will see three tectonic plates converging – the Africa, Anatolia, and Arabia plates. Friction among said plates can cause unique and disastrous earthquakes.
The first quake occurred 11 miles under the town of Gaziantep, Turkey. This town is located near the meeting of two tectonic plates making it highly vulnerable.
The first two quakes recorded more than 285 aftershocks combined.
History
The Turkish-Syrian region has a long history of disastrous earthquakes. A quake in 1996 killed more than 2,000 people. There have been 7 large strike-slip quakes from 1939-1999. Interestingly, there hasn’t been a large earthquake since 1999 until February 6. Experts claim that it was long overdue. With 4 tectonic plates interacting, this region is one of the most complex parts of the world.
Why does Turkey have such a High Death Toll?
Different platforms are keeping tabs on Turkey and Syria’s death toll. The numbers are horrific. But why were the numbers so high in the first place?
Powerful Quakes
Two quakes occurred in the same region within 9 hours. The magnitudes were 7.8 and 7.5. Seeing these numbers in a sentence may not convey the sheer devastation. But here’s a simple explanation. 6.3 magnitude means that the quake is strong.
Each integer increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in measured amplitude and a 32 times increase in energy released.
Timing of the Earthquakes
The first quake struck at 4:17 am when most were sleeping and therefore, inside their homes. It’s safer to stay outdoors and away from buildings during an earthquake.
Infrastructural Frailty
Footages from February 6 show that most buildings simply collapsed during the quakes. Even new ones couldn’t withstand the shock. People are claiming poor construction was the reason the buildings perished so quickly. After the earthquake in 1999, the government brought in new building codes. However, survivors and building experts think that bad management and corruption resulted in bad construction that exacerbated the devastation. People are scrutinizing amnesties given to developers. Amnesty simply means that the government ignores any construction violation, and the building is approved.
Shortage of Help
The disaster was massive, and the casualties were colossal. There wasn’t enough help and, if there were, it didn’t reach on time. Although international aid is flying into Turkey, there are shortages of machines such as diggers or canals. Help couldn’t reach the victims because of the damaged roads and lack of proper aid coordination.
Bitter Cold
Adding to the misery of the victims is the bitter cold. The region has been experiencing snow, rainfall, and sub-zero temperatures for the past few days. The cold has slimmed the chances of helping victims out of the zone. Footage showed how a rescue team was buried under bricks and stones while attempting to save people.
There have been many miraculous rescues during the whole fiasco.
A woman survived after being buried for 128 hours under the rubble. A baby took birth and survived the collapse.
But these miracles also show how much the victims have had to suffer. UN AID Chief stated in an interview that this is the worst event of the century in this region.
International Politics Surrounding the Disaster
Humanitarian aid is paramount at the moment for Turkey and Syria. Syria has already been pillaged by years of civil war, and the quakes have compounded its miseries. But international politics may have been impeding aid to Syria.
There is murmur about whether the Syrian government is playing politics with the aid money. Experts and observers have accused Damascus of directing aid to more loyalist areas. However, there are no reports confirming reports this.
After 12 years of civil war, Syria is a ravaged country. There is insufficient equipment, resources, and help. Syria has received assistance from 15 countries during this crisis. But, it isn’t enough. They require significantly more help than the world is providing.
So, the local government is being forced to distribute the resources or aid to the pioneers. International politics may not be affecting the distribution of aid. But, the internal divisions in the region could slow down rescue efforts.
Current Developments
A fresh earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck the Turkey-Syria border about a week ago, killing 3 people and injuring over 200. Turkey’s disaster management agency reported another quake of magnitude 5.8 followed 3 minutes later. The nation’s healthcare system has depleted. 4.7 million people share one MRI machine. There are currently 11,000 homeless people as 10,000 buildings are decimated.
There are only 66 functional hospitals for 8,500 injured citizens- not nearly enough to treat the growing number of casualties. The supply of antibiotics was depleted after day three of the earthquake. Medical experts fear that infections may spread rapidly, killing more people.
The region’s medical system is on its knees because of constant attacks during the war. AbdulKarim Ekzayez, an epidemiologist at King’s College London, stated in a report that as of June 2021, 350 medical facilities had suffered attacks, and 930 healthcare personnel had died.
More Bad News For Syria
An Israeli rocket hit residential buildings in Damascus on 19 February. Bodies keep piling in Syria as 5 were killed during the attack. The attack was on a densely populated area close to Amayad Square. People heard the first explosions around 12:30 AM.
Assessments until 25 February report varying degrees of damages to an estimated 2,644 buildings. Engineers are trying to ascertain which buildings are inhabitable, temporarily unusable, or unsafe. People are trying to reinforce infrastructure in danger of collapsing with available but ineffective materials. The shortage of engineers is making repair work painstakingly slower. However, many civilians have volunteered to help rebuild their homes.
Syria continues to fight tooth and nail, down to the last nail, while the rest of the world stands watching them rewrite their history and recreate civilization from dust.