The Devastating Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

will be, that is why. Unfortunately, that is the nature of disasters like this. So there's nothing much that we can do. But let's talk about the earthquakes themselves. First. The initial earthquake was a magnitude of seven point eight and it happened in southeastern Turkey early on Monday morning their local time, and it was followed by magnitude seven point five earthquake only nine hours later, amidst eeveral aftershocks.

All aftershocks are individual earthquakes, but as long as they are not stronger than the original quake, they are considered after shocks. But the seven point five magnitude tremor that happened after the seven point eight one only point three of a difference. It was an unusually strong aftershock. According to seismologists, aftershocks are typically about one point to magnitude units lower than the original earthquake, So if there was a magnitude eight earthquake, the after shock would be in

magnitude seven. So this was all a very rare, disastrous occurrence. The second earthquake was a shock notable all on its own, as well as in relation to the primary earthquake. As of Tuesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey, at least one and twenty five aftershocks measuring four point zero or greater have occurred since the initial seven point eight one. The frequency in magnitude of the aftershocks are decreasing, as is expected as we get further out from the

time of the original earthquake. However, five point zero and six point zero aftershocks are still possible, and they bring a risk of additional damage to structures that are compromised from the original earthquake. This brings a continued threat to rescue teams and survivors. The aftershocks stretched for more than four kilometers or about two fifty miles along the fault zone that ruptured in southern Turkey. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea off the northern coast of Syria up to

the province of Malatia. The initial tremor was centered about twenty miles from a major city and provincial capital, Gauzian Tepe, and seismologists said that this first earthquake was one of the largest ever recorded in Turkey's history. It was also the region's strongest earthquake. In nearly a century nine, an earthquake of the same magnitude killed thirty thousand people. Earthquakes of this magnitude are rare, with fewer than five i've

occurring each year on average anywhere in the world. Seven earthquakes with magnitude seven point zero or greater have struck Turkey in the past twenty five years, but the one that occurred on Monday it's the most powerful. The effects were also felt in the neighboring countries of Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt, to name a few. But there's a reason

white earthquakes are so frequent in Turkey. Turkey sits on fault lines, and these earthquakes in the region have caused deadly landslides in the past Turkey is situated on two massive tectonic plates, the Arabian and the Eurasian, and these meat underneath Turkey's southeastern provinces. Along this fault line, about hundred miles from one side or the other, the earth slipped. Seismologists refer to this event as a strike slip, where the plates are touching and all of a sudden they

slide sideways. In a strike slip, the plates are moving horizontally rather than vertically. This matters because the building don't want to go back and forth, and then the secondary waves begin to go back and forth as well. Because of the nature of this seismic event, the aftershocks could last for weeks and months. I have had to update the death toll many many times in preparing this episode. I am probably going to have to update it many

many more times before this comes out. But as of now, when I am recording this the evening of Tuesday, February seven, the death toll is over seven thousand and nine hundred deaths in Turkey and Syria combined, and it's expected to rise significantly more in Syria as these days go by. The exact number that is being reported is seven thousand

nine hundred and twenty six people. The Syrian Civil Defense a k a. The White Helmets said that the number of fatalities and rebel held areas in northwest Syria rose to a thousand, two hundred and twenty and the number of injured people rose to two thousand, six hundred, and these figures are expected to rise significantly due to the

presence of hundreds of families under the rubble. The White Helmet said quote, our teams continue search and rescue operations in difficult circumstances, and they described a tally of more than four hundred collapsed buildings and more than one thousand, three hundred partially collapsed buildings and thousands of others that were damaged. Additionally, at least eight hundred and twelve deaths

have been confirmed in government controlled parts of Syria. In Turkey, at least five thousand, eight hundred and ninety four people are dead and thirty four thousand, eight hundred and ten are injured. And this number is only going to continue to rise. I don't know when it will stop. Maybe a week from now, maybe a month. I don't know how many more people will be unaccounted for and not reported about but this is what we have for now.

You've probably seen pictures or videos of the devastation that is happening. In all the destruction, there have been really disturbing images of the ground literally just opening up in two and as if you can see the core of the earth. And other videos show the collapsed buildings and the rubble that rescuers are trying to dig underneath to find survivors. This is one story out of many, but a newborn baby was reportedly rescued from the rubble in Syria, and there is a video of this. A baby girl

was rescued from the rubble of her home. Her umbilical cord was still attached to her mother when she was found, and her mother is believed to have died after giving birth. One of the men that found her said, we heard a voice while we were digging. We cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord intact, so we cut it and my cousin took her to the hospital.

The girl is receiving treatment at a children's hospital and as of now she is stable, but arrived with bruises, lacerations, and hypothermia, and she's the sole survivor of her immediate family. They lived in a five story apartment building that was leveled by the quake. And again, this is one example of the stories of thousands of people. And I think what's important to remember is that even after someone is rescued,

they're not exactly home free. They can have many injuries or hypothermia because it's very cold over there right now, and their recovery is going to be brutal. And I feel like that's a good thing to keep in mind when you hear the word rescue, because the trauma doesn't

stop there. Almost six thousand buildings have been destroyed by this earthquake, and this includes residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and the damage is even more severe in northwestern Syria because it had been in the process of attempting to reconstruct itself since the Syrian War started in Thankfully, members of the international community have stepped up to coordinate relief efforts

to Turkey and Syria after the powerful earthquakes. However, sending aid to Syria is going to be difficult because there's no central government to take care of the multi sectorial response. The Turkish government said quote, we do not know where the number of dead and injured can go. In Syria, rescue workers used headlamps and floodlights to work throughout the night. Many Syrian war refugees are also in the quake stricken

area of Turkey. Turkey has taken in three point six million Syrian refugees, more than any other country, and this is according to the u N Refugee Agency, which runs one of its largest operations in Gaszian, Tepe, where the first earthquake happened and again. Videos shared on social media from Turkey and across the border in Syria have showed destroyed buildings and rescue crews searching through piles of rebble

for survivors. Some people fled their homes in the rain and took shelter in their cars, and governments around the world quickly responded to Turkey's request for international assistance, many of them deploying rescue teams and offers of aid, which I will get into in a bit. The World Health Organization warned that the number of casualties are likely to increase as much as eight times as rescuers are finding

more victims in the rubble. Rescuers have been combing through mountains of rubble and freezing and snowy conditions to find survivors, and these freezing conditions will leave many people without shelter, adding to the dangers. It is freezing over there, and that obviously only makes things more difficult and more painful

and more complicated. And we always see the same thing with earthquakes unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows. The situation on the ground seems to be more disastrous in Syria, and this is according to the country director in Ghazian Tepe for the Syrian American Medical Society Foundation. He said, it's a disastrous situation in both Turkey and Syria,

although Syria is more disastrous. Over a decade of conflict in Northern Syria has fostered a poor economic situation to say the least, making it very difficult to respond to the current crisis. In contrast, the situation in Turkey is coordinated through a very well settled government and Northern Syria unfortunately has no government that gives a shit about it. In Northern Syria, most of the services and help are provided by NGOs, and this is due to a long

term lack of investments in early recovery and infrastructure. One of these groups again is the White Helmets. They were one of the main saviors or helpers ever since the Syrians Civil war started in eleven They have been on the ground helping and they are made up of Syrian volunteers. And I think that's important to keep in mind because many Syrians have relied on each other and each other alone because they didn't receive help in the past. And I'm going to get into later how much the country's

civil war has made things exponentially worse. Several parts in northwestern Syria, including the city of Islab, are still controlled by anti government rebels. This representative added that they evacuated to maturity hospitals because of the physical impact of the earthquake on the infrastructure. And so the question is where are these people going to go. There's no shelter, it is freezing, and there's not enough aid to go around. And I'm hoping the countries that have said they will

help are in the process of actually doing so. And I'm going to get into some of them in a moment because I'm grateful that there's help coming from somewhere. And amongst all this, there have been calls to ease the Syrian border restrictions and controls. Four countries to offer their aid and again the rebel held on clave in northwest Syria, across the border from Turkey, is among the areas that have been hit the worst by this disaster.

International pledges, as I said, of emergency aid have poured in for Turkey and Syria, leading to calls for the international community to relax some of the political restrictions on aid entering Northwest Syria. The Turkish President Aragon, who was facing an election only a few months, said the offers of aid to Turkey had come from forty five countries, ranging from Kuwait to Israel, Russia and the UK. Syria said it had received offers of help from China, Russia, Lebanon, Algeria,

and the United Arab Immirance. Aid from around the world is thankfully heading towards Turkey and Syria, and some seventy countries and fourteen international organizations have offered their assistance. Here's a roundup of some of the latest pledges. There is a Hungarian rescue team of fifty people, including five military

doctors and to search dogs. South Korea plans to offer humanitarian aid worth five million to Turkey and send about a hundred and ten disaster relief workers and military personnel

to support its search and rescue work. You may notice that I'm only saying they're sending aid to Turkey and a couple of these, and I will get into why in a little bit, but to continue, the Palestinian International Corporation Agency will deploy seventy experts to the quake later this week, sending two crews comprised of the Civil Defense, Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Cross. As well

as doctors and engineers. There are also teams from the Palestinian Red Crescent and they are carrying out earthquake rescue and relief operations and the Palestinian refugee camps and the surrounding areas in Syria. At least three Palestinian refugee camps in Syria were struck by the earthquake. Pakistan deployed to

content engines of emergency services to Turkey. China said it will send about five point nine million dollars worth of aid to Turkey, while also coordinating with Syria for emergency supplies and accelerating ongoing food aid projects to Israeli aid groups chartered a special flight to Gauzi and tep on Tuesday to bring personnel and equipment to victims. Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief is sending a team of fifty

recovery experts to Turkey. The Dalai Lama committed to sending rescue and relief efforts early today, and Taiwan increased its donation to Turkey from two hundred thousand to two million dollars and it dispatched about a hundred and thirty rescue teams.

Indonesia also supplied aid for Turkey. The Vice President of Indonesia highlighted the urgency of dispatching humanitarian aid to Turkey to return the support granted by the country to Indonesia during their times of need over natural disasters in the past. Canada also pledged seven point five million dollars to earth quake relief. Egypt offered relief assistance to Syria in the

wake of this earthquake. Ukraine will send eight seven emergency staff workers to Turkey to assist with the relief efforts and not just countries, but also companies and nonprofits have offered their help. This week. For example, Amazon announced that it will help the victims of Turkey earthquake by donating food, medicine,

and equipment from its Istanbul warehouse. Amazon has about two thousand employees in Turkey, and in a statement on Monday, it said that it activated its quote disaster relief capabilities and was preparing to donate relief items including blankets, tents, food, baby food, and medicines. Even here in the US, the Virginia Task Force one is sending a crew of seventy nine members and six dogs to Turkey, and there are seventy eight members of the l A County Fire Department

who left Monday evening to Turkey. And then there's Greece, who set aside tensions with Turkey to send aid. But helping Syria, they said, is more complicated. Despite its tensions with Turkey, Greece was among the countries that have dispatched help to the country, but conflict torn Northwest Syria makes the same efforts more complicated, the Prime Minister said. Grace and Turkey, he said, are quote neighbors who need to help each other through difficult times. This is not the

first time earthquakes have struck our countries. This is a time to temporarily set aside our differences and try to address what is a very, very urgent situation. He continued to explain that in Syria, however, there is no official person or official from the government to have a dialogue with, and no assurance that aid will make it to the impacted area and people, and that makes relief efforts hard to pull off. No country on its own has the

ability to actually make these sort of arrangements. That's why I think it is important that these negotiations could take place either through the U N or through the European Union by pulling resources. I would not feel confident having these sort of discussions at a bilateral level. He also added that he has not directly communicated with Damascus. He went on to say that quote, I want to stress this, this is not about geopolitics. This is not about recognizing

any sort of regime. This is about saving people and horrible conditions who desperately need our assistance. So the scale of aid being offered is going to require a large coordination effort as well as delicate diplomatic maneuvers to supply aid to Syria, where the leadership of A. Charles said is not recognized in the West. It's not recognized for

me either, and many Syrians feel the same way. But that is the monster that we are currently dealing with and there's not much we can do about that at this certain point in time. And so, as I mentioned, the Syrian side of the border is going to be a challenge since the worst affected areas contain hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees that are locked in a war

zone and still facing attacks from Syrian government forces. Aid agencies reported that some of the roads from Turkey into Syria were blocked, including the main cross border crossing used by international aid agencies. The White Helmets said hundreds of families were still trapped in the aftermath of the earthquake. They also added that terrible weather conditions, including freezing temperatures, had compounded the crisis, and they're continuing rescue operations in

Syria despite great difficulties in aftershocks, they said. The White Helmets also urged the Assad regime and Russia to refrain from military activity, and they affected areas in order to allow international groups to unify and help the people affected. A spokesperson from the White Helmets said, our teams responded and until now many families are under the rubble. Our teams are trying hard to find all the casualties. Northwest Syria is now a disaster area. We need help from

everyone to save our people. I think this would be a moment to take a little break. I don't have the capacity or emotional bandwidth to think of a clever segue. So here are some ads and we are back. We're talking about the difficulty sending aid to Syria along the Turkey Syrian border. Last month, actually, the UN Security Council agree to allow aid into Northwest Syria from Turkey across

one border, crossing Bablahalla, surprising no one. The Syrian regime has been resistant to allowing aid into a region serving more than four million of its people because it regards the aid as undermining Syrian sovereignty and reducing its chances of winning back control of the region. Yes, that is correct. The Syria government doesn't want to help more than four million of its own people because one day it wants to control them again. Are you fucking kidding me? I?

I don't understand that malignant desire to rule over a land that you have destroyed, in a people that you have murdered. I don't get the fucking point, but regardless, that is one of the many reasons why getting aid into Syria is going to be much more complicated than

getting aid into Turkey. Additionally, Mark Locock, the former head of U and Humanitarian Affairs, said the area's worst affected by the earthquake inside Syria look to be run by the Turkish controlled opposition and not by the Syrian government. It is going to require Turkish acquiescence to aid in these areas. It is unlikely the Syrian government will do much to help. Yes, Mark, I think you're right. The

Syrian government is and gonna do shit if anything. Said is probably happy seeing all these people dying, because that's his whole mmm, just to kill the Syrian people anyway. A video from a hospital posted by the Syrian American Medical Society showed that it was immensely crowded. They said, our hospitals are overwhelmed with patients filling the hallways. There is an immediate need for trauma supplies and a comprehensive

emergency response to save lives. And treat the injured. Initial needs are for tens of thousands of tents, heaters for the tents, tens of thousands of blankets, thermal clothes, ready to eat food, and basic first aid kits. A unit of representative in Aleppo said that the hospitals in Syria

are absolutely overloaded. Hospitals are full of patients with trauma, broken bones and lacerations, and some people are going to the hospital to seek help for the mental trauma they endured after the earthquake struck, the UNSEAT representative Angela Kearney said, and while hospitals are functioning, the task has been overwhelming. Describing the scene in Aleppo when the earthquake struck on Monday, Kearnie said, children who have already been traumatized by war

were bewildered. They didn't know what was happening. Kearnie said that on Monday morning, when UNISEEF began its work in the area, there were seven schools in Aleppo that are being used as shelters. By Tuesday morning, that number grew to sixty seven and currently it is nearly two hundred and all of those schools that are partially damaged. There are families there who left their apartments left their houses

with just their pajamas, she said. She also added that while aid is starting to go into the affected areas, there are still a desperate need for blankets, food, clean water, medical care, and nutritional care. She said that water, sanitation and nutrition needs are the most urgent. The aid is starting to go in, but it is overwhelming. The needs are very great. There are discussions under way to open aid corridors from the government controlled parts of Syria to

the rebel held areas. Hammad Hammoud, Syria Country manager at the Norwegian Red Cross, said that he hopes with the help and efforts from humanitarian communities, this would happen in the coming days, and he said currently nothing has moved there, but there are discussions about moving aid and access to

these areas. He continued to say, after being asked if the Syrian government in Damascus has been helpful to these areas, he said they have stated that they are open to cross line intervention, meaning from government held areas to these non government held areas. They are open to it. They're

not doing ship though obviously. Earlier today, the head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, which described itself as an independent and volunteer based humanitarian organization, said that the organization is ready to immediately send aid convoys to rebel old areas, including Islib through the u N. Hamoud added that the humanitarian situation is worsening. He said we are in a

race against time. In describing the rescue and search operations, Hamoud said that due to the lack of machinery, most of the work on clearing the rubble is done by hand and the cold weather conditions are not helping. He also added that the buildings are already weakened because of eleven years of war. In addition to the thousands of people that have been lost to this tragedy, there are also some cultural sites that have been permanently damaged in

both Turkey and Syria. UNESCO, the United Nations Cultural Organization, said it's going to provide assistance following the cultural site damage. UNESCO said that it is particularly concerned about the situation in the ancient city of Aleppo, which is on the list of World Heritage and Danger. It added that the citadel had significant damage, the old city wall has collapsed, and several building and the suits have been weakened. In the Turkish city of Diyad Beka Unit School lamented the

collapse of several buildings. The city is home to the World Heritage Site, the Yabucat of Fortress and the he cl Gardens cultural landscape, which is an important center of the Romans and Acid Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman periods. The organization says it is mobilizing experts to establish a precise inventory of the damage with the aim of rapidly securing and stabilizing these sites. Aleppo was also one of the city's worst damaged by the Syrian regime. It is a beautiful,

beautiful place. Everything that the regime has destroyed was a beautiful, beautiful place. Aleppo had a lot of history, though, and that region is just home to so much history, and it's just really heartbreaking to know the extent of the loss that doesn't just include lives. In talking to my mom and my family about this, the sentiment seems like it's the same that it's been for the past decade. Essentially, Syrians don't have a government. There is no government. Assad

in his regime doesn't care about the Syrian people. My mom literally said, we have no one we've known this for years, no one helped us. Syrians are the ones supporting each other. The White Helmets is a great example of this. One of our family's friends on the ground in the city of Hamma, which is where my mom is from, was saying that it was absolute chaos. Everyone is in the streets and no one is daring to

go back inside their homes. Another person was telling us about his experience, and he said, I was asleep and felt the earthquake start in my bed. My son was terrified, and I went to hug my son. I kept telling him it'll be over soon, It'll be over soon, and then roof started crumbling on top of us. So then he ran outside and he saw many people doing the same, just running outside their homes if they were able to make it out, and watching their homes just crumble in

front of them. Let's take a break, and when we come back, I want to set the scene of what Syrians have been going through even before this earthquake even happened, and how sanctions in particular have made the impact of

this disaster exponentially worse. So we're back and we're going to talk about how sanctions have only aided in the suffering of the Syrian people twelve years after the eruption of the Syrian Uprising and the subsequent conflict, The US IS Syria policy has constrained political pressure on the Assad regime to broad economic sanctions, but despite an expansive approach that targets entire economic sectors, these sanctions have had little

to no effect in pushing the regime to offer political concessions, engage meaningfully in a peaceful settlement of the conflict, or improve its human rights record. All the while, conditions in

Syria have steadily worsened. As sanctions along with the destructive effects of twelve years of conflict, the economic crisis and neighboring Lebanon, and the COVID nineteen pandemic, all of this has fueled an economic collapse that has left more than nine percent of the population in Syria living in poverty. In nineteen seventy nine, the United States listed Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, and since then it has pursued sanctions as a primary tool in its policy towards Syria.

The George W. Bush administration issued a series of sanctions under executive orders aiming to limit Syria's destabilizing influence in Iraq. However, after the eleven uprising, the Barack Obama Mamma and Donald Trump administrations sanctioned the Assad regime on an unprecedented scale

for its gross human rights violations against his people. These sanctions ultimately accumulated in the passing of the Caesar Act in twenty nineteen, and this allows primary and secondary sanctions targeting both those who commit the sanctionable offenses and those

who enable them. Just three months ago, in November two, a u when appointed independent human rights expert urge the United States to lift the unilateral sanctions against Syria, warning that they are perpetrating and exacerbating the destruction and trauma suffered by ordinary citizens since the brutal war began in This expert's name is Alana Dohan, and she said, I am struck by the pervasiveness of the human rights and humanitarian impact of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria

and the total economic and financial isolation of a country whose people are strug ling to rebuild a life with dignity. In a statement that followed her twelve day visit to Syria, Dohan presented detailed information on the catastrophic effects that sanctions have had on all aspects of Syrian life. Currently, serious population is living below the poverty line, she said, pointing to their limited access to food, water, electricity, shelter, cooking

and heating, fuel, transportation, and healthcare. Moreover, growing economic hardship threatens to trigger a massive brain drain in the country, she said, with more than half of the vital infrastructure either completely destroyed or severely damaged, the imposition of unilateral sanctions on key economic sectors, including oil, gas, electricity, trade, construction, and engineering, have quashed national income and they undermined efforts

toward economic recovery and reconstruction. These sanctions have committed very as human rights violations in their existence, including these serious shortages and medicines and specialized medical equipment. My family and I have direct experience with these repercussions of the lack of medicines and medical equipment. My cousin, a child, had brain cancer and it got worse and worse, and the city they were in did not offer the treatment necessary

or even chemo to help his condition. So his mother would drive to Damascus, where at least some of the treatment options were available, but the road to Damascus, even though it shouldn't take more than a few hours, can sometimes take all day because there are so many checkpoints and road closures and just the regime making it so difficult to do anything. Ultimately, my cousin was suffering for the anger of his very young life, and he didn't

get the treatment that he needed. And I really think these sanctions have a lot to do with the lack of access that my family and many families have in Syria. And that experience that my family went through is one of many that many Syrian families have endured because of these sanctions. So I want you guys to keep that in mind. That numbers also contain individual lives, and each one is devastating all on its own. And I know I say that often, but I think it bears repeating

every time. I don't want us to be numb to statistics and numbers when it comes to casualties and suffering and loss. And maybe it sounds obvious, but I just think we need your remember the value of human life and what it means to take it away. So that's

what I'm going to say about that. For now. Let's get back to the reports that MS Dohan was showing the US back in November two about the effect of the sanctions, so including the impact that sanctions have had on the serious shortages and medicines and specialized medical equipment due to the unavailability of equipment and spare parts. She warned that the rehabilitation and development of water distribution networks for drinking and irrigation has stalled, with serious implications for

public health and food security. Twelve million Syrians are experiencing food and security. This is pre earthquake. The number is probably much higher now. Dohan urged for the immediate lifting of all unilateral sanctions that severely harm human rights and prevent any efforts for early recovery, rebuilding and reconstruction. She said, no reference to good objectives of unilateral sanctions justifies the violation of fundamental human rights. The international community has an

obligation of solidarity and assistance to the Syrian people. I want to add something that UNICEF said about the children in Syria. Children in Syria continue to face one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world. A worsening economic crisis, continued localized hostilities after more than a decade of grinding conflict, mass displacement, and devastated public infrastructure have left two thirds of the population in need of assistance.

Water Borne diseases pose another deadly threat to children and families affected. And all of this is again pre earthquake. This is the life that Syrians have known for years now without any assistance. Sanctions have done nothing but contribute to the increase in the suffering of Assyrian people, and now count treason organizations might have a hard time providing aid because of these sanctions. Sanctions have done nothing but contribute to the suffering and pain of the Syrian people.

They didn't do anything they were supposedly meant to do. The Assad regime isn't going to change anything. It hasn't changed anything. It's still killing its people. I also want to mention that last year on May, the EU extended its sanctions against the Syrian government for another year. Who knows if this will change, but for now that's the reality. So I'm really hoping these sanctions get eventually lifted or else.

Helping the Syrian people is going to be extremely difficult, and right now rescuers are still digging through thousands and thousands of flattened buildings, in near freezing temperatures. The death toll is only going to continue to rise, and everyone there needs all the help they can get. And I know, at least for me, it feels really helpless. I've felt pretty helpless for a long time when it comes to Syria.

But if you're able to donate any money at all, I would really urge you to donate to a charity that you trust. I really like the White Helmets because they're just on the ground and they've been doing the work for years. So if you're able to, I think help can go a long way. I want to end with something that Elena Dohan, the UN appointed independent human rights expert that gave the US this report about the sanctions in November. She quoted one view that she heard

expressed many times. She said, I saw much suffering, but now I see the hope die. So that's where the Syrian people started, that's where they've been. Nearly seventy of the Syrian population was already in need humanitarian aid before the earthquake even happened, and it's an issue that's only been compounded by the tragedy today. The UN said quote, this tragedy will have a devastating impact on many vulnerable families who struggle to provide for their loved ones on

a daily basis. The statement outlined the impact of serious twelve year war, describing a country as grappling with economic collapse, severe water, electricity and fuel shortages. They issued an appeal to all donor partners to provide assistance necessary to alleviate suffering. The UN and humanitarian partners say they are currently focusing on immediate needs including food, shelter and non food items and medicine and the devastation of this earthquake because of

this is truly devastating. I cannot emphasize that enough. So again, if you're able to donate, I really urge you to, and if you can't, just keep raising awareness because as someone else might be able to donate. And that's all we really have for now. So that's the episode. I hope it was informative or eye opening in any way. Thank you for listening. I will talk to you later. It could happen here as a production of cool Zone Media.

For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website cool zone media dot com or check us out on the I Heart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, you can find sources for It could happen here, Updated monthly at cool Zone Media dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.