Earthquake Turkey

Malteser International provides 50,000 Euros for emergency relief

In close cooperation with its long-standing local partner organisation International Blue Crescent (IBC) Malteser International will distribute blankets, food packages and baby food, hygiene kits as well as wooden ovens. Foto: ReutersMalteser International will provide 50,000 Euros for the people affected by the severe earthquake in the east of Turkey. Foto: Reuters

Cologne. Malteser International, the relief service of the Order of Malta for humanitarian aid, will provide 50,000 Euros out of its emergency fund for the people hit by the severe earthquake in the east of Turkey. In close cooperation with its long-standing local partner organisation International Blue Crescent (IBC) Malteser International will distribute blankets, food packages and baby food, hygiene kits as well as wooden ovens.

The emergency response will focus on Ercis town and three nearby villages. Ercis town with its 70,000 inhabitants was the epicentre of the earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale. “The situation is chaotic. The people who lost their houses do not know where to stay. Their makeshift temporary tents, however, will not withstand the heavy rains, the snow and the cold. The situation will even become worse in the next days and nights with regard to temperatures of minus 1 to 10 degrees Celsius”, reports Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, after having talked with IBC on the ground.

In addition, it is planned to start a hot meal kitchen in Ercis to serve around 1,000 people on a daily basis. Malteser International’s partner IBC had already provided people in Duzce with a hot meal after the severe earthquake in 1999. „It will probably also become necessary to establish a psychosocial treatment centre“, says Radtke.

Malteser International kindly asks for donations to support its earthquake relief in Turkey:
 

Reference: “Earthquake Turkey”

Attention editors:
Ingo Radtke, Secretary General of Malteser International, is available for interviews: Contact through Malteser International’s headquarters.

Malteser International is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta for humanitarian aid. The organisation provides aid in about 100 projects in more than 20 countries without distinction of religion, race or political persuasion. Christian values and the humanitarian principles of impartiality and independence are the foundation of its work. For further information: www.malteser-international.org and www.orderofmalta.int