” Here (Monday) morning, the first emergency was to know if our 350 Syrian colleagues distributed in the north-west of Syria were themselves alive and safe. Unfortunately, one person is still missing,” explains, this Tuesday, February 7, Myriam Abord-Hugon, director of the Syria program of Handicap International, from Jordan where she is based. Very quickly, the NGO had to coordinate with its teams and local partners to see how to take care of the injured and where to transport them.
Building expertise
“In this region, before the earthquake, the hospitals were already not well supplied with medicines and equipment. There was not enough electricity or fuel to run the generators. Today, we have all these problems and in addition, buildings weakened by the aftershocks – the strongest being 7.8 on the Richter scale on Monday. The earth continues to shake, a tremor of 5.8 was still recorded on Tuesday. » Among the population, engineers have volunteered to carry out an initial appraisal of the buildings. In the governorate of Idlib, a hospital was condemned because it threatens to collapse and small care structures, such as neighborhood clinics, have also had to close.
In Syria, all the infrastructure is in poor condition due to the twelve years of civil war. The still complex military situation on the ground complicates access to aid. The city of Aleppo is itself divided into three zones: one controlled by government forces, the other by Turkey with the support of the National Liberation Front (opposition to the Damascus government) and finally, the last , under Kurdish control. And the Idlib region, southwest of Aleppo, is under the control of the jihadists.
The passage of Bab al-Hawa
This fragmentation complicates the task of NGOs. In normal times, almost all humanitarian aid is sent from Turkey through Bab Al-Hawa, the only crossing point tolerated by the Syrian regime and supported by a United Nations resolution. Delivering aid from Syrian territory controlled by Damascus is not on the agenda, given its banishment from nations. Or else, it would be necessary to be sure that the latter is willing to give it to the populations of the rebel zone and that the belligerents agree on its distribution.
The passage of Bab Al-Hawa, contested by Damascus and Moscow who denounce a violation of Syrian sovereignty, remains provisional and has been reduced to a trickle over time. This place, where aid normally passes sparingly, was itself affected by the earthquake, according to the UN. However, under pressure from Russia and China, the number of crossing points has indeed fallen from four to one.
The material could be missing to treat the wounds
” Time is counted, recalls Myriam Abord-Hugon. We must shelter those who no longer have a home. We have no other options but to set up tents. » The local authorities also use the gymnasiums and schools that are still standing. “Many left their homes at 4 a.m. in their pyjamas, in the cold, because it is snowing in this region, she said again. Some have been able to come back, but others have nothing. »
For now, the concrete needs are simple: blankets, warm clothes, tents. Dressings, plaster and bandages may be lacking to treat the most common injuries encountered in such disasters: fractures, muscle or lung compression (due to dust and lack of oxygen), crushing trauma buildings.