VAN EARTHQUAKE
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF OPERATION
THE TURKISH RED CRESCENT DISASTER OPERATIONS UPDATE -8
DISASTER MANAGAMENT DEPARTMENT INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Last Update; 30 October 2011 02:00 a.m. (Local Time)
A. BRIEF SUMMARY: An Earthquake epicentred in Tabanlı Village and measured 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Van Province, at 13:41 on 23 October 2011. The quake and its aftershocks were mostly felt in Hakkari, Bitlis, Ağrı, Iğdır, Erzurum, Muş, Bingöl, Tunceli, Batman, Şırnak, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Siirt and Şanlıurfa provinces which are located in the regions surrounding the epicentre. The city center of the Van Province, its district named Erciş and the villages of Van are mostly affected. The assessment figures below were confirmed by Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Agency as of 28 October 2011, 9:30 PM.
Death toll 582
The number of injured 4152
The number of buildings not eligible for accommodation
8.026
B. DISASTER RESPONSE ACTIVITIES:
The Turkish Red Crescent, immediately after having been informed of the disaster, alarmed all its units over the country and established its Crisis Management Desks in the Disaster Management Center (HQ) (Ankara), the Northern Anatolia (Erzurum), the South-eastern Anatolia (Elazığ), the Eastern Anatolia (Muş), and the Mediterranean (Adana) Regional Disaster Management Centers and Sivas and Diyarbakir Local Disaster Management Centers. In the aftermath of the earthquake, 5 staff from Elazığ Regional
Disaster. Management Center, 2 staff from Muş Disaster Management Center and 3 staff from Erzurum Regional Disaster Management Center have been deployed to the Van Province in order to make need assessments at 14:30. For the purpose of preliminary damage assessments in the closest districts and villages to the epicentre of the quake, the information is being collected through the Turkish Red Crescent Branch Offices, District Governorates, Gendarmerie Commands, Security Departments in the town and cities, and being coordinated from the Disaster Management Center (HQ). The consignment of relief items, vehicle, equipment and staff, primarily from Muş, Elazığ, Erzurum, Adana, Manisa, Ağrı and Van and all other Turkish Red Crescent units, were initiated. Within the scope of the response activities, the TRCS alarmed all its units in the country in order to meet the urgent shelter and food needs of the victims, and dispatched the relief items that are detailed in the chart below, from Ankara, Elazığ, Erzurum, Adana, Muş and Manisa Regional Disaster Management Centers and also deployed 157 disaster specialists (including 34 volunteers), 37 vehicles. TRCS also deployed volunteers, composed of mukhtars, clergies, police forces and teachers that were trained within the framework of the project on “Organizing Community Leaders” for this kind of disaster situations.
To provide temporary shelter for the victims, whose houses were damaged or those who are not able to stay in their houses due to aftershocks, the tent camps have been established and the delivery of tents to the affected families on individual basis has also been started. The materials listed in the chart below have been dispatched to the region affected by the quake and their distribution to the victims has been started in accordance with the assessments made by the TRCS teams working in the region.
VAN EARTHQUAKE DISPATCHED RELIEF ITEMS
(UPDATED 29 OCTOBER 2011 /09:20 AM)
RELIEF ITEMS QUANTITY
FAMILY TYPE TENT 27.159
MULTI-PURPOSE TENT 31
MEVLANA HOUSE (PREFABRICATED)
2.310
BLANKETS 46.764
KITCHEN SETS 2.470
SLEEPING BAGS 5.109
HEATER 4.619
JERRYCAN 812
FOOD PARCEL 3.124
READY-TO-EAT PACKAGE 36.426
BOTTLED WATER 198.360
MILK 29.085
BREAD 15.075
VARIOUS FOOD ITEM (KG) 178.093
READY-TO-EAT SANDVICH 14.500
JUICE 102.921
BISCUITS 14.926
S3 TYPE OVEN 20
MOBILE KITCHEN 22
MOBILE BAKERY 1
MOBILE CATERING SERVICE 3
BODY BAG 2.458
CONTAINER TOILET 5
LPG TUBE 2.110
GENERATOR 19
RELIEF ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM; Disaster Operation Center (HQ) in ANKARA, Eastern Anatolian Regional Disaster Management Center (RDMC) in MUŞ, Northern Anatolian RDMC in ERZURUM, Southern Anatolian RDMC in ELAZIĞ, Mediterranean RDMC in ADANA, North Aegean in MANİSA, Eastern Black Sea in TRABZON, SİVAS Local Disaster Management Unit, DİYARBAKIR Blood Center, ERZURUM Blood Center, MUŞ Blood Center, AĞRI Local Disaster Management Unit, Southern Aegean RDMC in İZMİR, ERZİNCAN Local Disaster Management Unit, ESKİŞEHİR Local Disaster Management Unit, İSKENDERUN Local Disaster Management Unit, AFYON Local Disaster Management Unit, GÜROYMAK Branch, MANISA Branch, VAN Branch, Marmara Regional Disaster Management Center in ISTANBUL TRCS has already done the distribution of 26.965 tents, 1850 Mevlana Houses and TRCS has been providing shelter for 134.825 victims as of 29th October, 2011.
Sheltering Activities;
Tents, blankets, sleeping bag and heaters have been dispatched and distributed in the disaster-affected area to cover the need for emergency shelter. TRC DR teams established three tent camps in the stadiums and another location in the Erciş District of Van. Mobile Kitchens are operational in these tent camps and catering hot meal for the affected people. Additionally, 2 inflatable tents and 2 warehousing tents were pitched in these sites for the accommodation of staff and storage of relief items. Information on tent cities is as follows:
LIST OF GOODS DISTRIBUTED BY THE ERCİŞ TEAM PRESIDENCY
Name of Tentcity Number of
Affected
Number of
Tents Number of Heaters
Number of
Blankets
Yenişehir Stadium Tentcity 1.614 173 173 3.200
Yüzüncü Yıl Tentcity 500 49 49 950
Belediye Stadium Tentcity 930 91 91 1.200
Distributed in the fields - 85 43 577
TOTAL 3.044 398 356 5.927
Nutrition Activities; In the first day of the disaster, ready-to-eat snacks have been distributed to the victims of the earthquake. Besides, 1 mobile bakery, 21 mobile kitchen, 10 S-3 type ovens and 2.619 kitchen sets have been dispatched. Professional staff of the TRCS has started to provide hot meal through the mobile kitchens that are dispatched to the region. TRC’s catering vehicles have been distributing soup and tea to the affectees.
ERCİŞ FOOD DISTRIBUTION TABLE
Name of Tentcity Number of
Affected Breakfast
Number of
Affected Lunch
Number of
Affected Dinner
Yenişehir Stadium Tentcity
2.500 Milk, Fruit
Juice,
Wafers,
Halva,
Olives,
Cheese
6.200 Lentil Soup, Roasted Meat,
Bulgur Pilaf, Pasta, Dried Beans,
Apple, Tangerine
5.900 Lentil Soup,
Roasted Meat,
Tangerine-Grape,
Tomato
Yüzüncü Yıl Tentcity
Belediye Stadium Tentcity
1000 1.000 1.000
TOTAL 3.500 7.200 6.900
TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE DISTRIBUTED: 17.600
Psycho-social Support; Psychologists and social service specialists were assigned to the disaster affected regions with the aim of providing psycho social support for the victims who lost their beloved ones and for the victims who have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder because of the shock caused by the quake. 18 psycho-socialists from various cities are working both in Van and Erciş. Turkish Psychological Association, Turkish Association of Social Workers, Turkish Psychiatry
Association, Turkish Psychological Counselling and Guidance Association and Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also engage in psycho-social support in the disaster area. Activities are as follow:
Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate and Ministry of Social and Family Affairs were contacted to establish a psycho-social support centre in Van and Erciş and to plan long term activities. National Theatre in central Van is decided to be used as the psycho-social support centre in long term as soon as the damage assessment is over. Psycho-social support activities will also start when the 4 tents in central Van are pitched in Erciş.
Situation assessment of psychological support divisions of hospitals was also carried out with the Health Directorate and State Hospital’s Head Physician in order to have information and a long term referral system.
Schools are declared to be open on November 18 and plans on psycho-social support and consultation programs have been carried out.
Erciş District Governorship was informed on the current situation and psycho-social activities and was asked for a suitable area in order to carry out psycho-social support activities.
1 child psychiatrist, 2 psychiatrists, 4 psychologists, 4 social service specialists started to work in the psycho-social support division in Erciş Tent City. Regarding this issue, individual interviews and needs assessment activities are being carried out. Especially for children and women, plans are being developed.
Volunteering Activities; Community leaders like teachers and religious leaders, who were trained during the Turkish Red Crescent’s Organizing the Community Leaders Project, are also being used. Religious officers and leaders cooperated with the Turkish Red Crescent personnel on setting up prayer tents and placing burial rituals and a religious ritual for those, who lost their lives as a
result of the earthquake. 12 volunteering teachers from Muş province reached Van with the leadership of a project trainer personnel. These community leaders not only helped with the tent pitching activities, but also distributed food and water in various disaster affected areas. Volunteering teachers also took registry of the affected people in tents. Volunteers comprised of OCL Volunteers, scouts and University groups have done the activities like food distributions, cleaning up and psycho-social support in the tent city. 40 Religious clergies coming from various provinces provided the services of funerals and burials for the deaths
Blood Services; Following devastating earthquake, TRC’s Regional Blood Center based in Van communicated immediately with hospitals in the affected area and created additional stocks of blood in the Hospitals. Level of blood stocks was heightened with the transportation of 350 units of blood, especially of negative blood group from Erzurum Regional Blood Center one hour after the earthquake .After the re-opening of the airport, a total stock of 18,000 units of erythrocyte suspension was sent to Van from other regional blood centers for the purpose of stock replenishment. Stocks of blood have been continuously replenished when they fall below 1000 units. Erzurum and Ankara Regional Blood Centres are also creating additional blood stocks for the replenishment of stocks in the affected areas in case of need.
C. INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT: While there is an international call for appeal, the Turkish Red Crescent also made an appeal to the IFRC and various National Societies including from the North Cyprus Turkish Republic, Japan, Austria, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Iran, Luxemburg, Iraq, Belgium,
erythrocyte suspension provided
(Unit) fresh frozen plasma (FFP) (Unit)
trombocyte suspension
Hakkari State Hospital
19 10 -
Van State Hospital
241 183 10
Van Maternity and Children
Diseases Hospital
41 8
1
High Specialty Hospital
16 - 20
Tatvan State Hospital
38 - -
Bitlis State Hospital
63 47 -
Medical Park Hospital
- 2 -
Van Military Hospital
2 2 -
Doğubeyazıt State Hospital
17 - -
Erciş State Hospital
58 - -
Patnos State Hospital
32 - -
Muş State Hospital
34 33 -
Bulanık State Hospital
8
Private Tatvan Can Hospital
18 - -
Ağrı State Hospital
49 70 -
Yüksekova State Hospital
27
Private Muş Şifa Hospital
6 1 -
Hakkari Military Hospital
5 3
Total 674 359 31
Holland and Norway committed to send needed materials. Other international organizations and states of England, Israel, France, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, and Kazakhstan either sent or relief materials such as prefabricated housing units, tents and blankets.
Donations from the Red Cross and Red Crescents
1 Iranian Red
Crescent Tent by road VAN 500
2
The Northern
Cyprus Turkish
Red Crescent
Blankets by air cargo VAN 250
3 Swiss Red Cross
Tent by air cargo ERZURUM 200
Blankets by air cargo ERZURUM 800
Heater by air cargo ERZURUM 133
4 Belgium Red Cross tents By air cargo Erzurum 300
5 German Red Cross
Tents
By air cargo ERZURUM
500
Blankets 2500
heater 10
6 The Netherlands
Red Cross Tents By air cargo ERZURUM 1000
7 The Finnish Red
Cross
Tents By air cargo ERZURUM
500
Blankets 5000
Contacts: The Turkish Red Crescent Disaster Operation Center Crisis Management Desk Tel: +90 312 245 45 00 Email: [email protected]