VAN EARTHQUAKE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF OPERATION THE TURKISH RED CRESCENT DISASTER OPERATIONS UPDATE -9

DISASTER MANAGAMENT DEPARTMENT INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

Last Update; 31 October 2011 09:00 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 601

The number of injured 4.152

The number of buildings not eligible 5.739 for accommodation

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 167 disaster specialists (including 30 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 31 OCTOBER 2011 /04:00 AM)

RELIEF ITEMS QUANTITY

FAMILY TYPE TENT 27.159 MULTI-PURPOSE TENT 20

MEVLANA HOUSE (PREFABRICATED) 2.310 BLANKETS 46.832 KITCHEN SETS 2.470 SLEEPING BAGS 5.609 HEATER 4.620 JERRYCAN 812 FOOD PARCEL 2.134 READY-TO-EAT PACKAGE 36.426 BOTTLED WATER 184.250

MILK 24.529 BREAD 13.075 VARIOUS FOOD ITEM (KG) 178.093 READY-TO-EAT SANDVICH 14.500 JUICE 107.918 BISCUITS 14.921 S3 TYPE OVEN 20 MOBILE KITCHEN 12 MOBILE BAKERY 1 MOBILE CATERING SERVICE 3

BODY BAG 2.458 CONTAINER TOILET 9 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 27.184 tents, 2310 Mevlana Houses and TRCS has been providing shelter for 147,470 victims as of 31th 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

Number of Number of Number of Name of Tentcity Number of Heaters Affected Tents Blankets

Yenişehir Stadium Tentcity 1.614 173 173 4100

Yüzüncü Yıl Tentcity 225 51 51 995

Belediye Stadium Tentcity 960 94 91 1.220

Distributed in the fields - 101 65 638

TOTAL 2.799 419 380 6,953

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

Number of Number of Number of Name of Tentcity Breakfast Lunch Dinner Affected Affected Affected

Yenişehir Stadium Tentcity Milk, Fruit 2.400 6.750 5.800 Juice, Lentil Soup, Roasted Meat, Lentil Soup, Yüzüncü Yıl Tentcity Wafers, Bulgur Pilaf, Pasta, Dried Beans, Roasted Meat, Halva, Tangerine-Grape, Belediye Stadium Tentcity Olives, Apple, Tangerine Tomato 1000 1.000 1.000 Cheese

TOTAL 3.400 7.750 6.800

TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE DISTRIBUTED: 17.950

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 and other volunteer psychologists 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.

erythrocyte trombocyte suspension provided fresh frozen plasma (FFP) (Unit) suspension (Unit) Hakkari State 19 10 - Hospital Van State 241 183 10 Hospital Van Maternity and Children 41 - Diseases 1 Hospital High Specialty 16 - 20 Hospital Tatvan State 38 - - Hospital Bitlis State 63 47 - Hospital Medical Park - 2 - Hospital Van Military 2 2 - Hospital Doğubeyazıt 17 - - State Hospital Erciş State 58 - - Hospital Patnos State 32 - - Hospital Muş State 34 33 - Hospital Bulanık State 8 Hospital Private Tatvan 18 - - Can Hospital Ağrı State 49 70 - Hospital Yüksekova 27 State Hospital Private Muş 4 1 - Şifa Hospital Hakkari Military 5 3 Hospital Total 672 351 31

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, 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

Iranian Red 1 Tent by road VAN 500 Crescent

The Northern 2 Cyprus Turkish Red Blankets by air cargo VAN 250 Crescent

Tent by air cargo ERZURUM 200

3 Swiss Red Cross Blankets by air cargo ERZURUM 800

Heater by air cargo ERZURUM 133

4 Belgium Red Cross tents By air cargo Erzurum 300

Tents 500

5 German Red Cross Blankets By air cargo ERZURUM 2500

heater 10

The Netherlands 6 Tents By air cargo ERZURUM 1000 Red Cross

Tents 500 The Finnish Red 7 By air cargo ERZURUM Cross Blankets 5000

Tents 1000 8 UNHCR By air cargo ERZURUM Blankets 20160

Bed 7200 U.S. Foreign Affairs 9 By air cargo ERZURUM Ministry of Defense Blankets 1800

Contacts: The Turkish Red Crescent Disaster Operation Center Crisis Management Desk Tel: +90 312 245 45 00 Email: [email protected]