Highlights
UNICEF’s earthquake immediate response plan aims at reaching 5.4 million people, including 2.6 million children, from February to May 2023.
As cluster lead for WASH, Nutrition and Education and as responsible for the areas of Child Protection, UNICEF is coordinating with partners in the affected areas to assess damages and the impacts of the earthquake and plan the necessary response.
UNICEF partners on the ground have provided around 200,000 people with life-saving WASH supplies and services, including 96,654 affected people residing in 74 reception centres in Northwest (NW) Syria.
Twenty-one UNICEF-supported Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams (MHNTs) were immediately redeployed to provide health and nutrition services and supplies to over 31,500 affected people. Additional 136 interagency emergency health kits have been shipped and will arrive in NW Syria within days to support 940,000 earthquake affected people for three months.
UNICEF is currently also setting up temporary learning spaces in the form of prefabricated classrooms and tents in areas where schools were severely damaged or rendered unusable. UNICEF, as a sector lead, together with partners, has started rapid safety and infrastructure damage assessments of educational facilities and has prepositioned education supplies for 50,000 children.
UNICEF-supported Child Protection mobile teams in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia were redeployed to support displaced families with psychological first aid and other mental health and psychosocial support, reaching approximately 18,265 children, parents and caregivers.
Situation and Humanitarian Needs
In the early hours of 6 February, multiple earthquakes, the strongest being of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria. At least 1,206 aftershocks have been confirmed as of date of publication. Severe human and material damages were reported mainly in Aleppo, Hama, Idleb, and Lattakia Governorates, and impacting almost every person living in Northwest Syria (NW Syria).
The earthquakes have created a disaster of colossal proportions and casualty numbers keep climbing. As of 13 February, in Syria, at least 5,814 people have reportedly been killed and around 11,000 injured. This includes over 4,400 deaths and more than 8,600 injuries in NW Syria with many still trapped. While the full extent is still unfolding, women and children are likely to be most affected.
Many homes and basic service infrastructure have been destroyed or damaged. More than 8.8 million people – including 3.7 million children – have been affected and many are now in urgent need of food, water, shelter, and emergency medical and psychosocial assistance. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 60,000 individuals are taking shelter in reception centres. Ongoing winter season with below freezing temperatures, pre- existing largescale needs and damaged social service infrastructure are exacerbating the severity of humanitarian needs. The recent cholera outbreak alongside significant shortages in electricity, water and fuel, within an overall context of economic crisis after 12 years of protracted crisis have all impacted the situation.
An UN interagency mission to Sarmada in Idleb Governorate took place on the 14 February, and a second one on 15 February to Afrin through Bab Al-Salam border crossing. Key highlights from the meeting with the local authorities and NGOs indicated the high needs for health, shelter, education, reconstruction and cash amongst the earthquake affected population, but also amongst those who were suffering prior to, from the ongoing 12-year conflict. The health situation of children was a specific concern, highlighting the poor living conditions and lack of medical clinics and supplies after the earthquake. UNICEF is planning additional missions into NW Syria while access allows.
While an increasing number of displacements have been recorded in earthquake affected areas in Syria, water and sanitation infrastructure has faced extensive damage in all affected areas. Water supply and sewage networks have been damaged and disrupted, increasing the possibility of cross-contamination during times of no pumping and causing losses in the much-needed potable water. Several elevated water tanks, used to guarantee the needed water pressure in the network, were either completely collapsed or heavily damaged.
In addition, hygiene kits, jerry cans, water purification items, installation of water tanks and rapid emergency repair of water and sewage networks are required. A partner assessment conducted by REACH in NW Syria has found that at least 25 per cent of the WASH services are damaged, leaving individuals vulnerable to communicable diseases.
For Health, significant needs were identified during the initial rapid assessments conducted by health authorities and partners. An interruption in access to essential health services, as well as overcrowding of existing facilities, might also result in increasing maternal and child deaths, vaccine preventable diseases as well as deaths from chronic diseases. There is a high concern of a resurgence of the cholera outbreak. In NW Syria, 52 health facilities were partially destroyed while three were completely destroyed.
UNICEF and other education partners were immediately mobilized to identify the impact of the devastating earthquake on schools and children’s learning, assessments are ongoing and data verification processes, reported numbers are likely to change due to the evolving situation. As of 14 February, it has been reported that over 900 schools in Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Idleb, Lattakia and Tartous have sustained damages at varying levels. In addition, over 170 schools were reported as being used as shelters across these governorates. As a result, more than Source: Earthquake inter-agency flash appeal for Syrian Arab Republic (February 2023)535,000 children who go to schools that are damaged or used as shelter will not be able to resume their education until these schools are safe and ready.
The assessments in shelters in Aleppo and Lattakia confirmed high levels of distress among children and families, children suffering panic attacks and experiencing violence. Due to family separations and lack of shelter, children have become more vulnerable and at greater risk of exploitation and abuse. The lack of winter clothing was also of concern.
Source: UN Children’s Fund