Citizens and Refugees Alike Face a Long Road to Recovery
Citizens and Refugees Alike Face a Long Road to Recovery
“The level of destruction and devastation is shocking and in many places it is apocalyptic,”
said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi in his recent visit to the earthquake-devastated areas.
Having already worked in the region to help displaced people throughout the long, ongoing Syrian crisis, UNHCR and its partners were able to rapidly scale up its response to deliver critical assistance – including tens of thousands of tents, beds, mattresses, thermal blankets – as well as protection services to earthquake-affected families in the immediate aftermath.
With the initial emergency phase behind us, UNHCR is now transitioning to a longerterm response to help affected populations rebuild their lives and livelihoods. This includes ongoing provision of protection services, shelter assistance and repairs, and support for income-generation activities.
Citizens and Refugees Alike Face a Long Road to Recovery
Everything lost in cities like the ones below – from homes, shops, schools and health centres – will take years to rebuild; the same goes for people’s livelihoods and mental health.
Turkish Family Faces an Uncertain Future After Losing Everything |
Twice Lost Everything: A Syrian Family Survives Both War and Earthquakes |
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Ahmet and his wife Fatma hurled themselves into the escape with their lives, shaken from sleep by quake tremors and the screams of their three children. Moments later, standing in the street outside their apartment block in Hatay, southern Türkiye, the family watched in horror as the entire building collapsed. Ahmet despaired, "We have nothing left." Living in a container inside a temporary shelter centre, the family now faces a long and uncertain road to recovery. Beyond material loss, Ahmet pointed to the profound effect the disaster had on the psychological wellbeing of their children, “My little girl wanted to stay in the car – we convinced her that the container would not collapse.” |
Three years after escaping the bombardment of their hometown Andzara near Aleppo in 2020, Shamseh and her family fled to Jandairis in northwest Syria, where four million people are reliant on aid to survive. However, when the quakes struck, the lives of thousands of families like Shamseh’s, were thrown again into chaos. With their house damaged, Shamseh’s family joined the relatives living in a remote camp without sanitation nor electricity, lying 10 kilometres from the nearest water source. “I fear returning to my house in Jandaris,” she explained. “We need food, clothes for our children and running water, [but] staying in a tent here is still safer than staying in a building there.” |
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UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi (second from left) |
Shamseh and her children stand in front of their shelter in Barmaya site |