Attachments
Overview of Developments
In Syria, UNHCR is leading the coordination of Shelter, Non-Food Item and Protection sectors and working in close coordination with other sectors. An estimated 15.3 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance across the country prior to the earthquake. Over 1,400 deaths and 2,350 injuries were reported by the Syrian Ministry of Health. The UN estimates that at least 50,000 families have been displaced in Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia.
Extensive infrastructure damage has been recorded in the areas affected by the earthquake, with many buildings already damaged during the last 12 years of crisis.
Since the onset of the emergency, UNHCR and its partners have been providing support to the people affected by the earthquakes, particularly those most vulnerable such as female-headed households, elderly people and people with disabilities. As part of its emergency response, UNHCR has been continuously releasing core relief items from its warehouses for distribution, conducting need assessments and providing psychological first aid and case management services in collaboration with sector members, partners and authorities. In addition, UNHCR’s existing communitybased structures, including UNHCR-supported community centres and outreach volunteers, are supporting needs assessments and assistance delivery both inside and outside of collective shelters.
The earthquake heavily impacted north-west Syria (NWS), a region where 4.1 million people depend on humanitarian assistance, the majority of whom are women and children. Over 4,500 deaths and 8,700 injuries have been reported according to the Health cluster, mainly in the districts of Harim, Afrin and Jebel Saman, with numbers expected to rise. The earthquakes have affected at least 96 communities and 35 sub-districts in NWS; more than 10,000 buildings have been partially or completely destroyed, leaving over 11,000 people homeless. Following the earthquakes with epicentre in Türkiye on 20 February, almost 150 additional injuries have been reported in NWS.