The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is scaling up its humanitarian assistance in Türkiye after devastating earthquakes shook 10 provinces in the country’s southern regions, leading to tens of thousands of deaths and massive destruction.
"USAID is committed to supporting the people of Türkiye following the devastating earthquakes. Searching for survivors is USAID’s top priority, and we have search and rescue team members working around the clock in coordination with Turkish authorities and local emergency workers to reach those in need," Stephen Allen, USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) lead told Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview.
"We are exploring how to deliver the most impactful assistance to survivors, and we continue to keep all people in Türkiye affected by this unbearable tragedy in our thoughts," Allen added.
USAID said that its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) search and rescue team is working in close coordination with Turkish search and rescue crews as hard and as long as they can, to find survivors.
"As the DART continues to reach more areas, they are meeting regularly with the government of Türkiye and local emergency officials to closely coordinate response efforts, report needs and conditions on the ground, and prioritize delivering assistance to the hardest-hit communities," the agency underlined.
"USAID is also scaling up our humanitarian assistance to address the acute needs of people impacted by the earthquakes," it added, reiterating that Washington, through USAID, will provide $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance for earthquake-affected communities in Türkiye and Syria in response to the worst earthquake to hit the region in nearly a century.
"Through our humanitarian partners, we are working with the government of Türkiye to provide critical support to unaccompanied and separated children and supporting relief activities in temporary accommodation centers," USAID said further.
USAID is also continuing to provide aid to people as quickly as possible in Türkiye through trusted humanitarian partners, including electric heaters, temporary shelters, safe water and sanitation supplies, and winter clothing.
Sent from Los Angeles, California, the team is conducting rescue operations in southern Adıyaman, one of the provinces hardest hit by the quakes.
After Ankara declared a Level 4 Alert State, including an international call for help after last Monday's quakes, countries across the globe, such as the U.S., sent rescue teams to Türkiye for quake victims.
U.S. President Joe Biden Biden called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan immediately after the quakes and offered its full support to Türkiye.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaraş province, affected over 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
Aerial footage from over the earthquake zone in Türkiye revealed entire neighborhoods of highrises reduced to twisted metal, pulverized concrete and exposed wires.