In the early hours of the morning, on February 6th, a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked south-eastern Türkiye, near the Syrian border, killing hundreds of people as they slept, injuring thousands more, and reducing five-storey buildings to piles of rubble. A few hours later, another earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.5, hit the region causing even more heartbreak and damage. And in freezing, snowy conditions, rescue teams are now working to rescue survivors from the debris. 

One of the hardest hit regions in Syria is in the north of the country where millions have already been enduring the hardships of the ongoing civil war, including families in refugee camps on both sides of the Syria-Türkiye border. 

As of February 7th, Turkish officials and Syria’s health ministry have reported that more than 5,000 people have been killed and 15,000 injured, and 2,818 buildings have collapsed. However, this does not include those hurt or killed in non-government controlled areas in north-west Syria. And as rescue teams in both countries work to find survivors, it is expected the death toll will rise.

The United Nations reports that Syrian communities have also been struggling with an on-going cholera outbreak–together with the harsh winter weather, the impacts of the earthquakes and the estimated 100 aftershocks that have occurred, families have been left feeling even greater despair as they contemplate increasing challenges in meeting their basic needs. 

World Renew is responding to this disaster. We have been working with our local on-ground partner in the region for the last 12 years to provide emergency food, hygiene kits, winter supplies, and other support to refugee and local families. Response efforts in Syria will be complicated by issues of territorial control, and by damage to the major aid hub of Gaziantep and Bab al-Hawa, a vital border crossing point. Our partner is currently assessing the needs to determine how to best share Christ’s hope with the most vulnerable people impacted by this disaster. 

Please join World Renew in prayer:

• Pray that emergency and medical personnel have the capacity and resources to respond adequately and that they will reach survivors quickly
• Pray for families left homeless by the earthquake and that they may receive shelter and much-needed emergency supplies soon 
• Pray for wisdom for the Turkish and Syrian governments that they will provide support where it is needed most
• Pray that there will be no more aftershocks and that families will have heat and winter supplies to keep them warm
• Please pray for humanitarian organizations working in the region that they can be a source of comfort and refuge for the people who are struggling with hunger, poverty, and injustice

* In 2021, the Turkish government officially changed the country’s name, so Turkey is now recognized by the UN as Türkiye