The U.S. Department of State announced that the total U.S. humanitarian support for earthquake relief efforts in Türkiye and Syria reach $185 million as of Feb. 19, days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Türkiye to view the devastation and relief efforts.
"In Türkiye, I saw the horrific devastation caused by the earthquakes — and the incredible work being done by first responders and the international community. We will continue to provide support and lifesaving aid to earthquake-affected areas," Blinken said in a Feb. 21 tweet.
Blinken said in remarks to the USAID Urban Search and Rescue team (USR) that the group's rescue efforts had been "extraordinary."
"I so greatly admire the work that you do, the fact that, on a moment’s notice, you will answer the call," Blinken said.
Blinken said efforts are now in the recovery phase and will "eventually" move into the rebuilding phase but that it was going to take time and a "huge amount of resources."
“We’re determined to do everything we can to help, to help the people of Türkiye, to help people in Syria as best we can who were so affected by this,” Blinken said in his remarks. "And what I most want the people of Türkiye to know is that the United States stands with them and will be with them to get through this for as long as it takes.
USAID deployed its USR teams from the Fairfax and Los Angeles County Fire Departments on Feb. 6. The team included skilled emergency managers, licensed engineers, construction riggers, paramedics, hazardous materials technicians, planners, logisticians, search-and-rescue specialists, and handlers with search-and-rescue dogs, to support the relief efforts in southern Türkiye, according to a USAID report.
António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, announced the U.N. has started a $797 million humanitarian appeal to aid the earthquake-affected people of Syria, in remarks during a Feb. 14 meeting with news media. Guterres said the U.N. is "in the final stages of a similar appeal for Türkiye."
"In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, the United Nations rapidly provided $50 million through the Central Emergency Response Fund," Guterres said at the meeting. "But the needs are immense."
Guterres said providing emergency funding is the most effective way to assist the earthquake victims and that he "urge(d) Member States and others to fully fund this effort without delay and help the millions of children, women and men whose lives have been upended by this generational disaster."
Blinken announced Feb. 19 that President Joe Biden would authorize $50 million in Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Funds (ERMA) "in response to the unprecedented and devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria," the DOS reported.
The U.S. is providing an additional $50 million in humanitarian assistance through the DOS and USAID, according to the report, bringing the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for the earthquake response to $185 million.
"In both Türkiye and Syria, the United States will remain committed to doing whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to provide necessary assistance to those affected by these earthquakes," the DOS stated in the report. "The United States will continue to support the people of Türkiye and Syria, and we welcome and encourage support from our international partners in this time of great need."
