£75k sent to support engineers working to rebuild Turkey and Syria

Monday 27 March 2023

Jersey has pledged £75,000 to support the engineers on the ground working to rebuild Turkey and Syria in the wake of the devastating earthquakes in the two countries.

The additional funding from Jersey Overseas Aid has been given to international non-governmental organisation RedR UK, which provides training and technical support to NGOs, aid workers and communities responding to natural and man-made disasters all over the world.

The death toll from two earthquakes which struck the countries last month currently stands at over 50,000, while buildings and infrastructure in towns close to the epicentre have been destroyed.

RedR UK programmes manager Katie Bitten said: "Over a month after the earthquakes, the recovery efforts in Syria and Turkiye are really only just beginning, and the scale of the destruction, trauma and devastation is unbelievable.

"There is a critical need for qualified, experienced engineers to support the humanitarian response; ensuring people have access to safe shelter, healthcare and infrastructure. Beyond bricks and mortar, they can support the rebuilding of lives as well as buildings."

She added: "RedR UK, with the kind support of JOA, is building upon its existing structural damage assessments programme in the Middle East to strengthen localised engineering solutions in earthquake response and reconstruction in Turkey and Syria. RedR is utilising its role as a bridge between engineering and humanitarian sectors to support effective and resilient response, including assessing building safety and damages, repair, and safe demolition."

RedR UK is providing learning materials and technical support to engineers on the ground in Turkey and Syria.

Pictured: International Development Minister, Deputy Carolyn Labey.

International Development Minister Deputy Carolyn Labey said: "Given the sheer scale of this disaster it is essential that there is a bridge between the humanitarian response and the engineering sector so that they can work together to carry out rapid damage assessments while also providing training to local engineers with a view to rebuilding the lives of the millions of people affected by these devastating earthquakes. This latest allocation from Jersey will help to ensure that this vital work can continue."

RedR's emergency response coordinator was recently in Turkey as part of the Engineering Earthquake Field Investigation Team, a group of experts from industry as well as leading academics that has carried out assessments of major earthquakes over the last three decades.

JOA has previously allocated £150,000 to The Red Cross and Crescent's Turkey-Syria Appeal, and £200,000 to a 'pooled fund' in collaboration with the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other government donors to specifically address the needs in northern Syria

Pictured top: A photo of the destruction in Turkey taken recently by RedR UK’s Emergency Response Coordinator, Mohammed Bashein.