Red Cross seeks 700m dollars in aid to Turkey, Syria

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Half-Aggressions now estimates it will take $702m to help with the humanitarian crisis in these two countries. A week ago, the organization said that close to $200m was needed for this natural disaster.

The 7.8th magnitude earthquake of February 6th followed by another 7.5-strong earthquake and hundreds of other earth quakes has killed nearly 40,000 people in southeast Turkey and parts of Syria destroyed by 12-year civil war.

“The full impact of these earthquakes still is not known exactly”, said Red Cross Secretary General Jagan Chapagain, who is currently visiting the earthquake-affected communities in the two states.

“Sites on the ground are changing rapidly and needs are growing for every minute”, he said, stressing that “for survivors, these are the most difficult moments in their lives and the path of recovery will be a long”.

The Red Cross said the Syrian-Arab Red Halfage and Turkish ones worked “without a break to support communities affected” by earthquakes.

The most urgent needs for survivors are providing housing, health care, but also food and water, the Red Cross said.

Turkey's Red Moon has deployed over 5,000 staff members and volunteers, who have distributed over 31 million warm shots and provided emergency shelter to earthquake survivors.

There are close to 4,000 volunteers and staffs in Syria who have been sent to areas most affected by earthquakes, where 365,000 people are in need of emergency assistance. / REL/