Flash Appeal: Syrian Arab Republic Earthquake (February - May 2023)

TOTAL POPULATION 22.1M

PEOPLE AFFECTED 8.8M

PEOPLE TARGETED 4.9M

REQUIREMENTS (US$) $397.6M

*At least 8.8 million people have been affected by the earthquake, with the majority anticipated to need some form of humanitarian assistance. This Flash Appeal will ensure assistance to the 4.9 million people with the most urgent humanitarian needs, covering an initial period of three months, until May. This Flash Appeal is complementary to the 2022-2023 Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). 2023 projects for this second year of the HRP are online at a value of US$4.8b. Finalisation of the updated HRP strategic summary document has been paused in order to prioritise the earthquake response and this Flash Appeal. The intention is to later reconcile the HRP document and the ongoing earthquake response in the coming months, in consultation with the Government of Syria.

Crisis Overview

In the early hours of 6 February, multiple earthquakes, the strongest being of 7.7 magnitude on the Richter scale struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria. The epicenter was identified as Gaziantep near the Türkiye-Syria border. At least 1,206 aftershocks have been confirmed as of date of publication. While the magnitude of the earthquake has affected north, central, south, and the coastal parts of Syria, severe human and material damages were reported, mainly in Aleppo, Hama, Idleb, and Lattakia Governorates, and impacting almost every person living in north-west Syria.

The earthquakes have created a disaster of colossal proportions and casualty numbers keep climbing. They have destroyed many homes, basic service infrastructure and installations, leaving many people without food, water and shelter and in urgent need of emergency medical and psychosocial assistance. As of 12 February, in Syria at least 5,791 people have reportedly been killed and 10,041 injured, this includes 4,377 reported deaths and 7,692 reported injured in north-west Syria with many still trapped under the rubble. These numbers likely under-represent the true scale of needs, which will become clearer as further assessments are concluded.

The humanitarian community estimates that 8.8 million people live in areas that have been most affected by the earthquake in Syria and have been impacted to varying degrees.

Several factors are influencing and exacerbating the severity of humanitarian needs, including pre-existing large scale humanitarian needs, logistical and access constraints to certain areas, winter conditions and an ongoing cholera outbreak. Prior to the earthquake, some 15.3 million people in Syria were assessed to require humanitarian assistance in 2023, an all-time high for the country which is entering its 12th year since hostilities started.

Public service provision - water, electricity, heating, and social services – which were already under strain before the earthquake, are under severe pressure, and people’s access to emergency healthcare is limited with hospitals overwhelmed. Lack of fuel and heavy machinery and equipment are also major issues, hampering efforts to quickly reach those most in need.

The humanitarian community is rapidly adapting to the unfolding situation but has also been severely impacted with several NGOs and UN agencies having lost colleagues while others have been injured or had to evacuate buildings rendered unsafe.For a rapid scale-up of principled and effective humanitarian response in areas most affected by the earthquake humanitarian partners require US$397.6 million to help more than 4.9 million people in most acute need over a three-month period from February to May 2023. Immediate and flexible funding will be crucial for meeting existing and new humanitarian needs of millions of civilians affected by the earthquake. To save as many lives as possible, many humanitarian partners have re-allocated existing resources, including some that were addressing the needs of already extremely vulnerable communities, to support the earthquake response. Additional funding is urgently required to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation throughout the country. A regional Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocation of $25 million was announced on 7 February and a second allocation of $25 million specifically for Syria was announced on 10 February. At the time of the earthquake, the Syria Cross Border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF)1 had no remaining resources and the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) had only $5 million which have been immediately allocated.

Affected areas

Overall, 170 sub-districts in 43 districts in ten governorates have been impacted by the earthquake. The most affected areas include Aleppo Governorate where 4.2 million people have been affected to varying degrees. Almost 3 million people in Idleb Governorate have also been affected. All ten governorates were exposed to shaking levels V to VII on the modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) scale. Many of these areas were already under high severity of needs following twelve years of hostilities that have resulted in structural damage to many buildings and infrastructures and weakened access to social services. In north-west Syria more than 1,700 buildings have been completely destroyed and more than 5,700 buildings have been partially destroyed. In Aleppo, 56 buildings reportedly collapsed, while an unspecified number of buildings in other affected locations also report damages to varying degrees.

Affected populations and vulnerable groups

The whole population living in north-west Syria (4.5 million), in addition to almost four million people living in government of Syria controlled areas and over 260,000 people in parts of north-east Syria were exposed to moderate, strong, very strong or severe shaking levels (V to VIII on the modified Mercalli intensity scale).

Prior to the earthquake, 15.3 million people were found to be in need of humanitarian assistance across all Syria, of whom 4.1 million were living under extreme or catastrophic conditions, according to the Joint Intersectoral Analysis Framework (JIAF) severity scale.

The disruption and collapse of essential public services and access to basic services will continue to cause multi-sectoral needs.

In 2022, 85 per cent of households were unable to meet their basic needs, with a disproportionate impact on populations with vulnerabilities compounded by age, gender, and/or disability. In a country where only 59 per cent of hospitals, 57 per cent of primary health care facilities and 63 per cent of specialized centres were fully functional before the earthquake, this earthquake will result in a further collapse of basic services, and significantly delay any scope for recovery.

The collapse of structures and buildings is causing extensive damage and loss of life, particularly for people living outside of camps. According to the Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) carried out in August 2022, 30 per cent of IDPs out of camps and 43 per cent of returned households in north-west Syria were living, before the earthquake, in risk-prone damaged houses or apartments, already struggling with shelter inadequacies, placing them at greater risks in the face of weather events and natural disasters.

More than 30,000 displacement movements were recorded in north- west Syria between 6 February and 8 February. While comprehensive information on population displacement throughout the country is not available, Syria before the earthquake was already hosting the highest number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world, estimated at 6.8 million. Before the earthquake, nearly 80 per cent of IDP households had been displaced for at least five years, and many experienced multiple displacements. It is likely that many of them will witness yet another wave of displacement. Displacements have already been reported from Deir-ez-Zor, Aleppo, Hama, Lattakia and Tartous.

The earthquake has not only resulted in additional displacement due to damaged/unsafe shelter but has also diminished the prospects for safe return of IDPs originally from earthquake-affected areas. Safe shelter will be one of the main needs in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Earthquakes are age or gender neutral - they affect everyone in their vicinity - but their impacts are not. Gender inequality exacerbates the impact of disasters, and the impacts of disasters exacerbate gender inequality and vulnerability. Of particular concern are vulnerable women, children, older persons and persons with disabilities who are disproportionally affected. Learning from other similar contexts, the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse will likely increase with the limitation of mobility in the earthquake response, disruption of social safety nets and the lack of information around confidential reporting mechanisms makes it difficult for survivors (including children) to access whatever response services remain operational. In HCT coordinated response areas, approximately 148,000 women are currently pregnant and 37,000 of them are expected to deliver over the next three months. An estimated 5,550 women may experience complications requiring emergency obstetric care including C-section.

An estimated 62,000 Palestine refugees living in four camps (Lattakia, Neirab, Ein-el Tal and Hama) in the north-west have also been affected by the earthquake, with 90 per cent of them estimated to be in need. Approximately 15 Palestine refugees are reported as missing in Latakia and Jableh, and rescue efforts are ongoing.

In Neirab camp, 50 houses were partially damaged, in Lattakia 12 houses were destroyed and 21 were partially damaged while, in Aleppo eight houses were also partially damaged. Two of UNRWA’s installations (one school and one health centre in Neirab) were also damaged. On 8 February, UNRWA launched an appeal for $2.7 million to assist Palestine refugees who have been impacted by the earthquake.

Ongoing assessments

At the request of the Syrian Government, a seven-member United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team was deployed to Syria on 10 February to support Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) coordination, international response coordination and information management in support of national response efforts. UNDAC has also activated an assessment and analysis cell to facilitate information and data flow across operational organisations and agencies responding to the crisis. Pre-existing assessment arrangement and analysis mechanisms in each response area and at the Whole of Syria (WoS) level are being reinforced to coordinate data collection and information sharing.

• In areas of north-west Syria where the response is coordinated through the HLG, 30 rapid need assessments had been completed by NGOs as of 12 February. At least four cluster specific, and one multi-sectoral assessment are ongoing, and results are expected in the coming days.

The completed assessments mainly focused on casualties, damage assessment, the identification of urgent needs, and specification of worst hit locations. According to these preliminary assessments, more than 4,377 people have been reported dead and over 7,692 injured in at least 78 communities in north-west Syria, with estimates confirming the existence of hundreds of people still trapped under the rubble. At least 1,500 buildings have been completely destroyed, and over 5,500 buildings partially destroyed, resulting in over 11,000 families now homeless. Most urgent needs include heavy machines for debris removal, tents and Non-Food Items (NFIs), and heating material and fuel for hospitals. Preliminary assessments indicate that the sub-districts of Harim, Afrin, Atmeh, Sarmada, Atareb, and Kafr Takharim are among the worst hit areas. A comprehensive REACH assessment focusing on 1) damage to residential buildings/ key infrastructure, 2) priority needs by sector, 3) preferred modality of assistance (e.g., cash), 4) displacement, started on 9 February.

• In the HCT coordinated area, the Syria Arab Red Crescent (SARC) has deployed three assessment teams to north-west Syria. In Aleppo, inter-agency assessments are ongoing, and a rapid nutrition assessment started on 8 February.

An inter-agency assessment was completed in Hama on 7 February. In the coastal area, more assessments are planned by humanitarian teams in the affected locations. WASH sub-national sector confirmed receipt of all needed information through water department and started coordinating with the authorities to find solutions for the impacted villages. Assessments of the structural integrity and safety of schools and health facilities are ongoing. Food Security and Agriculture Sector partners are conducting rapid needs and market assessments in Aleppo. Two technical teams were deployed to carry out WASH assessments in the northern and eastern rural parts of Aleppo. Several inter-agency shelter needs assessments are ongoing in Aleppo, Hama, Lattakia and Tartous.

These preliminary assessments will be followed by more in-depth assessments by UNDAC teams.

Response efforts of the host government, and de-facto authorities

In Government of Syria controlled areas, all government technical teams and service departments have been deployed to support search and rescue efforts. SARC also immediately deployed its first aid and disaster management teams. However, the search and rescue efforts are being hampered by the lack of equipment. Government authorities have called for international assistance and support from the private sector. Access to affected locations in Aleppo, Lattakia and Tartous governorates is reportedly feasible. An emergency nationwide action plan has been set, and a 24-hour central operations room established to coordinate the Government response. Emergency operation rooms have also been established in the affected governorates. The Government dedicated 50 billion Syrian pounds ($7.35 million) as an initial emergency allocation for response and recovery. Directives have also been issued for assessments to be conducted on the safety of buildings in the affected locations, and to quickly determine the safety of dams, reservoirs and water stations.

In north-west Syria, local authorities have declared a state of emergency following the earthquake. Community-based rescue teams have conducted search and rescue operations for people trapped under the debris of collapsed houses. According to civil defense partners, only five per cent of reported sites in need of search and rescue operations can currently be covered. The lack of heavy machinery to remove rubble and bad weather conditions complicate these efforts significantly. Given the general lack of food, water, and healthcare, many first responders are working under extremely aggravated circumstances. Local authorities have closed schools temporarily, a measure that will likely be prolonged. Health authorities are struggling with the influx of new patients and activated emergency measures, and asked population to donate blood.

In north-east Syria, local authorities reported six deaths and 33 injuries in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, five injuries in the Shahbah region, four injuries in Ain al-Arab (Kobane), and additional injuries in Menbij, as of 9 February. Additional damage in multiple regions, including the collapse of a few buildings in Menbij, Ain al-Arab, and Raqqa, and minor damage in other areas were also observed, with ongoing damage assessment in multiple areas. Local authorities have also reported damage to key water infrastructure in the western Ain al-Arab region, resulting in cuts in service to more than 18 villages. Local authorities and private actors have also installed dozens of temporary shelters in Menbij, Ain al-Arab, Raqqa, and Qamishli cities for families who feel unsafe remaining in their homes for fear of aftershocks and delayed collapse of buildings. Hundreds of families have sought shelter in these nearby sites, though their movement remains highly dynamic.

Support already received and delivered by partners

On 7 February, the Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated $25 million to the regional earthquake response, of which $15 million will go to the Syria response. A second CERF allocation of $25 million for Syria was announced on 10 February. At the same time, the Syria Humanitarian Fund is finalizing a $5 million reserve allocation. The Syria Cross Border Humanitarian Fund is awaiting additional donor contributions before launching its own allocation to support relief efforts in the north-west. Both Humanitarian Funds are also showing flexibility and allowing their partners to re-programme activities where necessary.

Under enormous courage, humanitarian organizations are supporting response efforts including search and rescue efforts, first aid, trauma care and psychosocial support, food, shelter, non-food items, healthcare including reproductive health, nutrition, WASH, and protection assistance. Sector partners are working with local authorities to undertake needs assessments across key geographic areas. The Health, WASH, ERL, and Shelter partners in HCT coordinated areas are also complementing and/or supporting technical government committees to carry out integrity and safety checks on infrastructure and installations including houses/homes, water reservoirs, water tanks and networks, health facilities and schools.

Many Syrian NGOs have been on the frontline of the response since the first hours on 6 February. Some initial immediate assistance has been provided by north-west and north-east based partners using emergency prepositioned stocks. However, these stocks have been depleted and need to be urgently replenished.