Letter in support of the people affected by the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Letter in support of the people affected by the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Dear readers,
We are writing to convey our heartfelt empathy and solidarity with the people affected by one of the world’s deadliest catastrophes of this century, the earthquake that affected Turkey and Syria on 6 February 2023 [reference].
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7 and epicenter in Kahramanmaraş — Turkey, was felt strongly in the surrounding 10 provinces and in the north of Syria.
This disaster has caused a great deal of suffering and devastation that has severely affected millions of people. It is our responsibility as members of the MCAA to assist those in need.
We are writing to ask for your help in assisting the victims of this calamity, but also to share an important message. In a region known to be prone to earthquakes, the integrity of infrastructures was neglected, which led to the dramatic outcome that is in front of our eyes and loss of lives. We, therefore, want to emphasize why science and technology are vital for understanding how to reduce the impacts of crises. Science and technology, once again, could have saved lives thanks to the construction of solid infrastructure and the use of measures to foresee the impact of earthquakes.
We recognize that you are most certainly receiving several requests for aid, but we encourage you to evaluate the gravity of the issue. Winter affected around 13 million individuals in Turkey and northern Syria. The victims of this calamity require our assistance now more than ever, and we are convinced that with your help, we will have a long-term influence on their lives.
The entire MCAA community wishes to contribute and support this cause in the best possible way. We are now working together to understand in what ways we can best support the millions of people affected by this tragedy in both Turkey and Syria. Whether through donations, volunteering, or activism, we are working together to provide much-needed assistance and comfort to people in need.
To do this, we have collected links to some reliable sources and we will keep updating them. If you want to help, please do not hesitate to reach out to these associations:
AHBAP — Anatolia People and Peace Platform: https://ahbap.org
AKUT — Search and Rescue Association, https://www.akut.org.tr/bagis-yap
AFAD — Disaster and Emergency Management, https://www.afad.gov.tr/depremkampanyasi2
White Helmets — https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/
If you don’t know how to get in touch or show your support, feel free to contact us and we will make sure your message/support will be delivered.
The MCAA Community