The 6 February 2023 earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria impacted the lives of millions of people. This article looks at the EU response, following the activation of the UCPM.
The 6 February marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria in 2023. Looking back today, we remember the devastating impact this event had on the lives of millions of people.
The response to the earthquake was a strong example of European solidarity via the UCPM. The EU responded immediately to Türkiye's request of 6 February to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. In the period following the earthquake, 31 UCPM member and participating states offered assistance to Türkiye.
On 8 and 9 February 2023 respectively, the Syrian authorities and the World Food Programme in Syria requested the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. 16 countries responded with offers of in-kind assistance to Syria.
This comes in addition to rescEU assets that were also deployed to the region. Five ERCC Liaison Officers were present in both Türkiye and Syria and the Copernicus Emergency Management Service produced 64 damage assessment maps.
The 41 response teams that, up until 24 April 2023, offered their assistance to Türkiye had a significant impact on the operations on the ground. Emergency medical teams that were mobilised via the UCPM were able to treat over 17,539 patients and over 100 people were rescued by USAR teams in the largest search and rescue operation ever supported by the UCPM.
For a personal account of the operations directly after the earthquake, read the testimonial by Kinga Perge, Urban Search and Rescue first responder, also from the for Budapest Firefighter Association.
