According to Jamie LeSueur, head of emergency operations at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the recovery in Turkey from the devastating earthquake has now entered the “humanitarian phase”. .
LeSueur told CNN from Gaziantep that as his team continues search and rescue operations, the greatest needs for those affected in Turkey continue to be food, health and water.
“We have now entered the humanitarian phase. That phase will last for several months, during which we will still try to meet people’s basic needs,” LeSueur said.
The organization is currently receiving more winter tents due to the cold weather, but they are looking at prefabricated transitional shelter options, he said. Most residents are too scared to go inside, even if their homes haven’t been completely destroyed.
“We want to get them out of the humanitarian phase as quickly as possible, onto something sustainable and transitional that will keep them safe for a long time,” said the crisis responder. .
LeSueur added that his team is preparing for any eventuality, including the spread of the disease, and that they are coordinating with the Turkish Red Crescent on hygiene needs.
The Red Cross is well-positioned to address needs in southern Turkey, but also in the hard-hit areas of northwestern Syria, where aid has been delivered, he said. more complex due to years of civil war.
“In Turkey we have set up an operation going to the border with Syria and in Syria we are using the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to go to the Turkish border; we are trying to cover the whole region is run by two national societies,” he said.
