On Feburary 6th, 2023, the countries of Turkey and Syria were rattled by earthquakes that hit a magnitude of 7.5 and 7.8. The death toll has just passed 22,000 and that doesn’t include the countless others still lost within the rubble. This number marks the earthquakes has the most deadly in the area since an earthquake in 1999. Millions of civilians have been left without homes, some without families, and some without either.

The terror first began early morning, on Monday the 6th. At 4:17 am, the earthquake struck in the city of Gaziantep, located in southern Turkey. Strong temors were felt through various countries, including Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. 12 minutes later, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake was felt as the first round of aftershocks. Throughout the day, damage and death tolls increase as the country experienced around 120 aftershocks. By late evening on Tuesday, the death tolls had hit around 20,000 deaths.

While the earthquake itself was responsible for many of the deaths accounted for, many are because of the damage. According to Turkey’s goverment, over 6,000 buildings over the span of 10 provinces has collapsed. Many were trapped under the crumbling buildings and debris. Over 8,000 people have been rescued. Among them, a newborn baby who has been dubbed as a miracle. Aya (arabic for “a sign from God”) was found in the debris, still attached to her mother’s umbilical cord. Her mother, as well as the rest of Aya’s family was still lost in the mess. Aya will be staying with her uncle who is still struggling to find somewhere to stay after his house was crushed. “After the earthquake, there is no one able to live in this house,” her uncle said in an interview with The Guardian. “Only 10% of the buildings here are safe to be in, and the rest are unliveable”. They are still continuing to look for their family, along with thousands of others.

“We’re searching for my niece” a tired looking man told reporters as they filmed the wreckage. The man and his family were digging through the debris of a fallen hospital. They were hoping to find their niece, who was a nurse and went to help in the hospital before it collapsed, trapping her inside. Many other families are struggling for hope, digging through broken buildings searching for their loved ones. Turkey, Syria, and neighboring areas are still trying to come to terms with the devestation they have faced, and the coming devestation they still have yet to face.

Earthquakes are caused when an underground rock suddenly breaks and there is movement along the faultline. This can cause earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Tsunamis are usually the result of an earthquake near an ocean. The Tohoku Earthquake, for example. The earthquake struck Japan in March of 2011. The earthquake and its aftermath was devestating in itself, but the tsunami that came after caused more deaths than the original earthquake. The epicenter of the Turkey was near a coastline, meaning that there is a possible tsunami on the way. Some countries, like Italy, are even under a tsunami warning.

Even with the threat of a tsunami looming over, Turkey and Syria are already looking to rebuild. It is believed that it will take around a decade for the countries to rebuild to be in the state that they were in before. Even though they are on the other side of the Pacific, there are many different ways that we can help from here in the US. There are many different established organizations that are open for donations, including Syrian American Medical Society Foundation, Plan International Inc, Direct Relief, and more.