Syrians still fear building collapses three months on from quakes

Idlib, Syria – “Since the earthquake, the specter of death under the rubble still haunts us,” said Ahmed Mazloum, a 43-year-old father of five, who lives in the city of Idlib.

Three months after the devastating February 6 earthquakes that hit northwestern Syria and southeastern Turkey, killing more than 50,000 people and leaving thousands more homeless, Mazloum is still worried about the house he lives in with his parents and his brother’s family.

The house has been classified as unfit for habitation by a committee of engineers in opposition-controlled northwestern Syria due to damage to the building’s infrastructure and cracked walls, which now need to be partially demolished and reinforced.

“We had no choice but to stay in the house, but I couldn’t afford the cost of the repair, which is over $2,000. Moreover, there are no tents available in the shelters and I cannot afford to buy one,” says Mazloum.

“I put some supports on the ceilings to protect them from collapsing, but every now and then a few bricks fall on us.”

Dilapidated infrastructure

Mazloum’s family is one of hundreds in the area who live in homes experts say are unsafe to live in.

Nearly 2,000 buildings collapsed during the quakes, and soon after, more than 4,000 were flagged as unsafe and uninhabitable structures, resulting in an estimated economic loss of $1.95 billion, according to the Syria Response Coordination Group, a local humanitarian organization.

Others lost their sources of income as a result of the earthquakes.

The earthquakes have also exacerbated challenges for healthcare in northwestern Syria, as many facilities have been damaged and taken out of service.

The sector was already facing a serious shortage of equipment and health workers after 12 years of war against the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

“In the past three months, most of the region’s medical reserves have been consumed, in addition to the loss of efficiency of many already obsolete medical devices, especially X-ray, CT scan and MRI machines,” said Dr. Zuhair al-Qurrat , the top health official in Idlib.

Al-Qurrat told Al Jazeera that the loss of several health workers, including technicians and administrators, had affected the performance of the health care sector, which was already short of skilled medical personnel.

In addition, 42 medical facilities were damaged to varying degrees, ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent.

According to al-Qurrat, the level of international aid the health care system receives is scarce, covering only 25 percent of actual medication and equipment needs.

“We are currently unable to treat cancer patients who used to be treated in Turkish hospitals, which have stopped accepting patients [from Syria]. The same applies to heart patients who need surgery,” said al-Qurrat.

UN ratings

A high-level delegation from the United Nations visited northwest Syria on Wednesday to assess the overall situation three months after the earthquakes, observe camps for displaced persons and assess immediate and necessary relief needs. addressed.

The area was already home to millions of people who have escaped from government-controlled areas of Syria.

“Almost everyone in northwestern Syria was affected by the earthquake and we know that more than 4,500 people have sadly lost their lives. More than 10,500 people were injured and more than 100,000 displaced,” said David Carden, the UN’s deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the crisis in Syria.

Carden told Al Jazeera that, despite the earthquakes, the 2023 humanitarian response plan for Syria was poorly funded, receiving only 7 percent of the funding needed.

“The main issue is funding, and we are calling on all of our donors to make sure we have the financial support to do our job, because we heard today that the need in this camp is huge and that the lack of services is due to a lack of funding,” Carden said.

International aid can enter northwestern Syria through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam border crossings with Turkey, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution issued in January this year.

The resolution allows the entry of humanitarian aid across the border without the approval of the Syrian government, but must be renewed every six months.

“We will do everything we can to ensure that the border crossings remain open and not just Bab al-Hawa but Bab al-Salam and al-Rai, because these are crucial lines for the people of Syria, and we want to make sure that those border crossings remain open for the shipment of humanitarian aid and supplies as well as for the people,” Carden said.

Whether enough supplies can penetrate to repair the extensive damage in northwest Syria, however, is another question.

Many here will not be able to rebuild without outside help.

Persistent aftershocks remain a major concern for Mazloum, who spends his time monitoring the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling to ensure it is stable and not vibrating, as he no longer relies on his body’s ability to absorb vibrations. after the trauma he suffered in the earthquakes.

“I am not only afraid for myself but also for my children and my mother in case there is another earthquake. How do I get them out of the house as quickly as possible?” asks Mazloum.