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| UMCOR Turkey Emergency | 1999, 2002, 2003 Earthquakes | News |

Map Showing Earthquake in Turkey.ACT Member Churches Provide Aid to Earthquake Victims

ACT Alert/Update


Map credit

Two days after one of the most powerful earthquakes hit north-west Turkey on August 17, death and casualty figures continue to rise and reports pour in of more and more persons missing in Istanbul, Izmit and the surrounding areas, nearest the epicenter of the quake.

The piazza in front of the Patriarchate and the large church yards of the Armenian churches in Ferikoy and Samatya were opened to the public last night. The church served fruit and tea to the crowds who were afraid to return home amid the numerous aftershocks still shaking the area. Two church hospitals (belonging to the Armenian Orthodox and the Greek Orthodox) have responded to the emergency medical needs of the victims in Istanbul. Medicines and medical personnel are stated to be high on the list of priorities.

A meeting has been planned to share information on the situation, assess the churches' response and help determine further action. The meeting will focus particularly on the issue of coordination and the need for a coordinated intervention by the ACT members and partners. The meeting will be attended by the following:

Other local churches are also being consulted to seek ways of cooperating for an ecumenical emergency response.

It is believed that the MECC staff person who was scheduled to reach Istanbul later today has already reached his destination, having made his way into an earlier flight.

The ACT Coordinating Office is working closely with the WCC Middle East and Europe Desks to ensure a well coordinated and effective response through its members in Turkey and from the region.

In the meantime, the following members of the network have pledged resources in support of a possible ACT Appeal.

In addition, Norwegian Church Aid, Diakonie Austria and Church World Service, USA are exploring funding possibilities.

ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.

Geneva, 19 August 1999

Earthquakes
| Top | El Salvador Earthquakes 2001 | India Earthquake 2001 | Turkey Earthquakes 1999 |

Note: UMCOR has shortened the original ACT release.

The map of the earthquake in the upper left hand corner comes from AlertNet, the Reuter Foundation's website for the relief community, but does not necessarily reflect the views of the Reuter Foundation, or Reuters. You may re-print, copy, archive, or re-post this item, on condition that you retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts must include attribution to the original sources. AlertNet Reports are archived at http://www.alertnet.org for public reference. GBGM has reduced the original map to a 16 color version and added a red border to it.