Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: how to deal with the chaos after a natural disaster

The recent earthquake that affected Turkey and Syria generates many first-level victims, that is, people who directly experienced the consequences and were more or less affected or ultimately died.

These victims have relatives and friends who, without causing physical harm, experience a high emotional impact due to the losses and the experienced situation. We call them Second Level victims. Despair that they will not find their loved ones, panic about the disaster that surrounds them, and the possibility of aftershocks concentrate all their attention.

When disaster strikes the whole country

If the scale of the situation caused by a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, exceeds the local response capacity, additional resources are requested, which can be sequentially added to the rescue and social and medical assistance efforts.

In the field of emergency management, different levels of response are usually established. Level 3 means that the entire nation is affected, which requires government to be in control. In Spain, for example, this would mean that the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies delegates operational command to a Senior Lieutenant General of the Military Emergency Unit (UME).

But a catastrophe like that in Turkey and Syria also requires international assistance in the form of human resources and concrete resources that can make possible the rescue and medical care that the population needs.

The priority in the first 72 hours is focused primarily on the victims of the first level: the probability of recovery of living people among the collapsed structures and debris decreases exponentially over time.

Coordination Mechanisms

This rapid response must be properly organized and have well thought out procedures. The most coordinated actions between international and national resources are needed both to locate and rescue the wounded, and to provide assistance to victims at the second level.

Here the main role will be played by the management of information among the participants in the rescue operations, as well as its verification and transmission to the affected population.

In Europe, at the beginning of this century, what is known as the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism began to develop. It includes an emergency response coordination center. In addition, it offers specific resources, expertise and capabilities that the Member States of the Union contribute when needed.

In the event of an earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Spain provides, among others, the Urban Rescue Teams (USAR) of the aforementioned UME and the ERICAM Special Emergency and Immediate Response Team belonging to the Community of Madrid.

In addition, this catastrophe requires the management of international assistance by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA). His United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is rushing to the scene to support the authorities in coordinating resources. To this end, a focal point is being established, known as Field Operations Coordination Center (OSOKK).

Evacuation of the wounded and homeless

In addition to search and rescue efforts, the urgent task is to bring the affected areas out of isolation. To do this, the main or alternative routes must be put in place that will provide access for rescue teams, medical resources and essentials, as well as allow the injured and homeless to be evacuated to safe areas.

Another priority is the installation of emergency facilities that, through physical and chemical processes, allow for rapid water purification. At the same time, the state (if it has the opportunity) and international organizations create shelters for victims (known as ADAMS), which accept them immediately and temporarily.

Subsequently, these refugees are transferred to a camp with a larger capacity, where they stay for longer periods, depending on the development of the situation, receiving medical and psychosocial assistance.

A fundamental condition for the groups involved in this and other catastrophes is to be able to guarantee their self-sufficiency, at least for a reasonable period of time. The opposite will mean that they will become a problem, exacerbating the situation with a lack of supplies, housing, etc.

With these means, the emergency will try to reduce the chaos that has arisen in the system after the earthquake, and restore order, which in physical terms we would call negative entropy. We all want this to be achieved as soon as possible in Turkey and Syria.

Jesús Miranda Paez, Head of the Department of Security, Emergencies and Disasters, University of Malaga

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.

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