Syrian Arab Republic: Earthquakes - Syria Situational Updates - As of 1 March 2023

This report is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 19-28 February 2023. Next report will be issued on 8 March 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

• About 6,000 people were reportedly killed and more than 12,000 injured in affected areas across Syria.

• Winterization, shelter items, medical supplies, water, sanitation, food, cash, and psychosocial support are priority needs.

• More than 100,000 households have reportedly been displaced across affected areas in Syria.

• Close to 1.3 million people were assisted with emergency food.

• To date, the Syria earthquake Flash Appeal received $171 million or 43 percent of the US$397.6 million funding requirement.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The United Nations, and other humanitarian partners, continue to scale up the response to earthquake-affected areas across Syria, where at least 8.8 million people have been affected. The majority of these people are expected to need at least one form of humanitarian assistance. This disaster comes after nearly 12 years of conflict in the country with more than 15 million people assessed to require humanitarian assistance in 2023.

Needs priorities for the earthquake affected population include winterization and shelter items (tents, isolation sheets, blankets, tarpaulins, mattresses, and hygiene kits), medical supplies, water, sanitation, food, cash assistance, and psychosocial support.

To date, according to local and government sources, about 6,000 people have reportedly been killed and more than 12,000 injured across Syria.

Some 55,000 households are estimated to be displaced either within or between assessed communities in north-west Syria, according to a REACH rapid assessment, based on a sample of some 600 communities out of 1044 communities. Another 50,000 families are estimated to be displaced in Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Lattakia, both in collective shelters and host families, with Aleppo and Lattakia worst affected.

Many are staying with host communities or going back to their inhabitable homes making it very difficult to estimate the total number of the displaced. Three UN agencies are currently supporting structural damage assessments of affected buildings in affected areas to help facilitate families’ return to homes that are deemed safe. Longer term shelter operations are also being identified for families that cannot return to their homes due to damage.

The earthquake crisis has further stretched the health system which has been significantly affected with at least 55 health facilities in northwest Syria reportedly partially or fully damaged. This comes when Syrian communities are simultaneously hit with an on-going cholera outbreak. As of 24 February, more than 50,000 suspected cholera cases, and 21 associated deaths have been reported in northwest Syria, the majority in Harim and Idleb. Forty four percent of suspected cases are children aged four years old or younger. Eight cholera treatment units are currently functional in the area. Cholera cases were reported in other parts of Syria, but latest figures are not available.

According to a market survey conducted after the earthquake by the World Food Programme (WFP), nominal prices of essential commodities in the food basket (bread, lentils, vegetable oil, sugar and rice) increased in almost all of the heavily hit governorates of Aleppo, Hama, Idleb and Lattakia compared to the week before the quake. Lentils, for instance, increased by 14 percent in Lattakia, eight percent in Aleppo, three per cent in Hama and one per cent in Idleb. Lattakia also experienced significant increases in the prices of vegetable oil and rice. Bakeries and related warehouses were significantly damaged in the affected areas leading to an increase in the cost of wheat flour by 20 per cent in Hama, by 14 per cent in Aleppo and by eight per cent in Lattakia.

Meanwhile, humanitarian partners have been providing family food baskets and hot meals, sending medical supplies and personnel, providing psychosocial support and learning spaces, distributing hygiene kits, and providing tents, blankets, mattresses and winter clothes across earthquake affected areas.

WFP, for instance, assisted close to 1.3 million people with emergency food assistance, including 380,000 people with ready-to-eat rations and hot meals and 915,000 people received their regular general food assistance rations and cash transfers, most of whom are affected by the earthquake.

Nutrition partners conduct screening for malnutrition in earthquake-affected areas across Syria between 6 - 26 February to 25,443 pregnant and lactating women, of which 3,993 of them or over 15 per cent were found to be malnourished, referring 637 women to appropriate nutrition services. Similarly, more than 53,617 children under five years were screened of which 1,379 of them were found to be moderate acute malnourished and 548 children were found to be severely acute malnourished. Some 651 malnourished children were referred to treatment services. In addition, 7,242 people assisted with High Energy Biscuits and 2,066 people assisted with ready-to-eat meals in 8 affected governorates. Funds are required to replenish the depleting nutrition supplies.

Protection partners conducted more than 138,000 interventions to respond to emergency protection needs arising from the earthquake in Syria. This included 39,270 persons reached with psychological first aid and psychological support; legal advice, counseling and awareness-raising on civil documentation and housing, land and property issues; case management; distribution of in-kind assistance and referrals of vulnerable and people with special needs to appropriate services. More than 70,000 children and caregivers were assisted with psychological first aid, and mental health and psychosocial support and parenting sessions in the most affected areas. Some 225 unaccompanied and separated children were registered and were supported with family tracing and reunification and alternative care arrangements with the extended family. Also, 14,597 people reached with gender-based violence response services and activities. More than 56,800 dignity kits were distributed to affected women and girls, as of 21 February.

As of 23 February, health partners deployed more than 209 mobile health teams and clinics, and fixed health points across affected areas. These mobile teams and clinics are providing integrated health services including maternal and child health, vaccination, and nutrition. To date, more than 300 metric tons of medical supplies were airlifted to affected areas in Syria that will provide treatment services to more than 4.9 million people targeted. This included emergency trauma-surgery kits, inter-agency emergency health kits, tents, generators, pneumonia kits, non-communicable disease kits, cholera kits, and laboratory kits.