Aid officials say conditions in Syria are dire months after the quake

Three months after a massive earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, living conditions remain dire in rebel-held northwest Syria, according to aid officials who visited the area Wednesday.

The February 6 earthquake killed more than 50,000 people, including more than 6,000 in Syria, according to the United Nations, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

The Idlib governorate in northwestern Syria is home to about 4 million people, many of whom were displaced earlier during the country’s 12-year civil war, which claimed nearly half a million lives.

Since the earthquake, some 2,000 trucks have crossed the border from Turkey, providing assistance such as shelter, food, medical supplies and other services, said David Cardin, the UN’s deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis.

“We have made progress since the early days but there is still more to be done,” he said, citing financing as one of the issues. Although the flash appeal is fully funded and $400 million has been raised, he said the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan, which was in place before the earthquake and required billions of dollars in support, is only 7% funded.

Cardin urged that the border crossings between Turkey and Syria be opened after the earthquake for three months to allow the entry of aid open.

“We want to keep using these crossings for as long as possible,” he said. The three-month period ends in mid-May, and it remains unclear whether the Syrian government will allow aid to flow in the future.

Cardin said the February earthquake left more than 4,500 people dead in northwestern Syria and damaged or destroyed the homes of some 855,000 people.

Before the earthquake, some 2 million people in Syria needed assistance, including 1.8 million people living in camps, said Patrick Motai, shelters coordinator for the UN refugee agency. Of those, about 800,000 are in tents that need to be replaced.

“The earthquake has exposed the population to more vulnerabilities,” Motiei said, adding that 1.1 million people in Syria need shelter. The immediate plan is to help the hardest hit with “dignified shelters, a mid-range type of shelter that offers better privacy, security and structural stability”.

Idris Al-Rasheed, who heads operations in northwest Syria from the WHO office in Gaziantep, southern Turkey, said more medical equipment will be brought into Syria, which will reduce the demand for transporting critically ill patients to Turkey for treatment along closed roads and across borders. . It has been closed since the earthquake.

___

Associated Press writer Basem Marwa in Beirut contributed to this report.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos