Background:
Deadly earthquakes struck the Adiyaman region of southeastern Turkey on Feb 6th 2023. Within days, NATAN’s medical and trauma relief teams were on the ground in the center of the disaster zone. As of 1 March 2023, more than 51,800 deaths were confirmed: more than 45,000 in Turkey, and more than 6,700 in Syria. It is the deadliest earthquake in Turkey since the 526 Antioch earthquake and the deadliest in Syria since the 1822 Aleppo earthquake. Hundreds of thousands of survivors were left homeless, hungry and sleeping outdoors in freezing temperatures with no access to sanitation, clean drinking water.
The NATAN team was well-equipped for the challenging conditions, equipped with sub-zero survival equipment and proper medicines and supplies. Our team was on the ground in Turkey from 10-Mar-23 through 17-Mar-23. It comprised: a head of mission, a medical expert in adult emergency medicine, a pediatric emergency doctor, a family practice doctor, a psychological trauma care doctor, and three Turkish volunteers. On 16 March the Turkish government declared the end to the rescue effort and asked foreign medical teams to leave.
