Türkiye grateful for 'unprecedented' global support after earthquakes

Türkiye's Presidential Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun, has expressed gratitude for "an unprecedented level of global support and solidarity” in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquakes in the country's southern provinces.

It was this global solidarity that “had a direct and visible impact” in saving thousands of lives, Altun said in an opinion piece published in Euronews on Monday. 

In addition to messages of condolence from international organisations and foreign governments that provided morale to the Turkish people, in the two-week period following the twin earthquakes more than 80 countries sent around 10,000 search and rescue personnel to the earthquake-affected areas.

In the opinion piece titled: “As Türkiye recovers from devastating earthquakes," Altun noted that “this international coalition of rescue workers joined the more than 200,000 local emergency personnel on the ground to undertake the biggest rescue mission of all time."

“For the next 14 days, these brave rescue workers would go through the unstable rubble of concrete and steel, both risking their own lives while trying to save survivors.”

“We witnessed firsthand, along with millions across the world on their television screens, as miracle after miracle happened and heroes were born,” he said.

Altun mentioned that the massive earthquakes that shook southern Türkiye impacted an area larger than the total area of Austria and affected more than 13 million people.

He said that “Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish government mobilised every available resource at its disposal to the disaster zone.

“After a quick damage assessment, it became very clear that the scale of destruction was something that we had never seen before.”

Altun said that even though the government faced many obstacles and logistical challenges, they were able to deploy search and rescue teams, military personnel, security services and healthcare professionals to the impacted areas as quickly as possible.

Altun also said that government officials from the highest levels, from the president and vice president to ministers and officials, all rushed to “ground zero” to oversee the state’s response.

He pointed out that for the first time in Türkiye’s history, a level 4 alarm was issued – stemming from the acknowledgement that international support was needed due to the size of the affected area and the fact that local emergency workers were also affected by the earthquakes.

READ MORE: 'We stand with Türkiye' campaign launched to strengthen solidarity

Recovery of survivors

Altun advised that the search and rescue phase of the Turkish Government was over, and that their focus has now shifted fully on relief, recovery and rebuilding.

He said the task ahead is “monumental”: with over a million citizens displaced, more than half a million buildings that need to be rebuilt and an estimated $100 billion in damages.

“Our number one priority,” Altun said, “has been to address the immediate needs of earthquake survivors, which include shelter, healthcare, food, money, and clothing.”

Stating that Türkiye has coped with most of the difficulties that arose immediately after the disaster, Altun said, “We are facing a tough struggle in the coming period. In this context, I hope that the solidarity that our country saw right after the earthquake will continue.”

Referring to the meetings, events and International Donors Conference to be organised by the UN, the European Union and the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), Altun wrote: “The [international] assistance to be generated from these meetings will support our efforts to provide relief for the Turkish people”.

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