Attachments
Period covered by this Final Report: 26 October 2011 to 14 November 2012
Appeal target: CHF 9,402,445
Appeal coverage: Up to 31st January 2013 the level of the appeal coverage has reached 84 per cent through cash and in-kind contributions.
A final financial report is now available and is to the Final report for Turkey: Van Earthquake operation (MDRTR002). There is a final balance of CHF 64,581 which would be allocated to the DM project. Please note that the final balance is pending the clearing of audit fees.
Summary:
In October-November 2011, two earthquakes and more than 10,000 aftershocks struck the Van region in the eastern part of Turkey. Buildings and infrastructure were heavily damaged in the cities of Van and Ercis, and their surrounding area. 644 people lost their lives. 252 were rescued from the debris. Turkish Red Crescent responded immediately to the disaster through the deployment of its disaster response teams. Dispatching of food and non-food relief items including tents, blankets and sleeping bags started within two hours after the disaster had happened. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), on behalf on the Turkish Red Crescent, launched its preliminary emergency appeal on 26th October 2011 to contribute to the response efforts of the Turkish National Society by mobilising international in-kind and cash contributions to meet the needs of people affected by the earthquakes.
In the field, the emergency assistance operation was coordinated by the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). It was responsible for all activities related to the delivery and distribution of relief items and the provision of emergency and transitional shelter to the affected population. The Turkish Red Crescent was directly involved in mobilising national and international relief assistance and participated in the assessment of emergency needs and distribution of relief supplies, as well as in providing briefings to the non-governmental organisations which were active during the emergency phase. The distribution plans were established by the crisis centres, under direct guidance from the AFAD.
During the emergency phase of the operation, the Turkish Red Crescent dispatched blankets, sleeping bags and sheltering units (tents and Mevlana houses ) to meet the immediate needs of the population and to provide them with temporary accommodation. The Turkish Red Crescent also provided cooked meals in the camps and adjoining areas in Van province and Erciş district. In total, 3,410,195 portions of cooked meals were distributed since the beginning of the operation. As of 01.03.2012 this activity was terminated. At the same time Turkish Red Crescent provided psychosocial support to the affected people.
Based on the detailed need assessments and the mid- and long-term plans of the government authorities, the Turkish Red Crescent decided to provide 2,000 container houses for the most vulnerable people in the district of Erciş, the epicentre of the quake. The needs for the mid-term were identified in close cooperation with other actors in the operation (most notably the Turkish Government) and reflected the developing situation, taking into consideration harsh winter conditions posing a very real threat to the families left homeless as the result of the two earthquakes.
In November 2011, the International Federation revised its emergency appeal to reflect the transition of the Turkish Red Crescent emergency response into the rehabilitation phase. The provision of transitional shelter to 2,000 homeless families thus became the principal goal of this phase of the operation. On 17 January 2012 the International Federation and the Turkish Red Crescent signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which defined the general principles of the implementation of the Turkish Red Crescent Container/Living houses project in Van Province.
Out of those 2,000 container houses the Federation supported the procurement of 500 container houses, and another 1,500 were financed by other national and international donors. By the end of January 2012, all 2,000 container houses were installed and furnished for more than 10,100 beneficiaries. Within the scope of long term recovery programmes, the plan to shift this population from the container houses into newly built houses by the end of 2012 was foreseen. As of November 2012, 1,500 people were still residing in the container houses as the reconstruction of their homes was still being finalized.
Both before and after the appeal, Partner National Societies (PNS) showed substantial attention and interest in supporting the humanitarian relief operation for the Van earthquakes. Bilaterally and through the International Federation, more than 20 PNSs made cash and in-kind contributions in response to the Federation appeal. Other contributions were received from: the Australian, French, Kuwaiti, Norwegian, Netherlands, New Zealand, Polish, Swedish Governments, OFDA, OPEC/OFID, USAID, VERF WHO and Western Union. The list of donor national societies and other donors can be found on the following link: http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/Active/MDRTR002.pdf