Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)

Devastating earthquakes have killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed leaving survivors facing freezing conditions. People need help now.

A series of devastating earthquakes have hit southern Turkey (now known as Türkiye) and north-west Syria killing tens of thousands of people and injuring many more. Thousands of buildings, including hospitals and schools, have collapsed and infrastructure has been badly damaged.

The first 7.8 magnitude quake hit in the early hours of the morning when people were sleeping. There have been a number of aftershocks and a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Local responders are searching through the rubble for survivors.

People have been left without shelter in freezing winter conditions, with humanitarian needs expected to grow in the coming days. Access to clean water will likely be a challenge, bringing the risk of cholera and other diseases.

DEC charities and their local partners are responding, working with locally-led relief efforts. Immediate priorities are search and rescue, medical treatment for the injured, shelter for those who have lost their homes, heaters for safe spaces and winter kits with blankets, and warm clothes, as well as ensuring people have food and clean water.

Please consider raising funds through sales using Work for Good or donating through our website at dec.org.uk

£5,000  could provide emergency food for 200 families for 10 days, providing vital nutrition

£10,000 could provide blankets for 2,000 people, keeping them warm

£21,540 could provide a tent for 25 families of 5 who have lost their homes, sheltering them from the cold

Over 6 million people have fled Ukraine since the conflict began. Leaving behind jobs, belongings and loved ones, they now face an uncertain future.

Intense conflict is threatening the lives and livelihoods of civilians across Ukraine, with another 7 million people displaced inside the country. Families have been separated. People have been injured. Lives have been lost.

Homes have been destroyed or are unsafe to live in. Critical infrastructure such as health facilities, water supplies and schools have also been damaged or destroyed.

Millions of refugees have fled to Poland, Romania, Hungary and Moldova, often arriving with only what they could carry. There have also been media reports of racism against people of colour who are being refused access to relief, aid and the right to cross the border to safety.

In Ukraine, many older people and people with disabilities have no option but to remain in their homes. They now find themselves isolated, unable to access food and basic necessities.

As floods devastate Pakistan, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is today (Thursday 1 September) launching an urgent appeal to help millions across the country who are in need of immediate help to survive.

One third of the country – an area the size of the UK – has been submerged, according to the government of Pakistan, with floods sweeping away entire communities and leaving more than a million homes destroyed or badly damaged. At least 1,100 people have already been killed and 6 million more are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

The DEC brings together 15 leading aid agencies at times of crisis overseas. Seven of its member charities, including Action Against Hunger, Islamic Relief and Save the Children, are already on the ground in Pakistan providing life-saving aid but say that funds are vital to reach more of those affected with food, clean drinking water and shelter. At least three more members are intending to respond either directly or through local partners.

Around 33 million people are affected overall - one in seven Pakistanis. Whole villages have been cut off, with rescuers struggling to reach them. Schools, roads, crops and livelihoods are gone and DEC charities say that time is critical with conditions expected to worsen as the rains continue.

The immediate focus of the relief effort is to save lives and provide temporary shelter and blankets to people who have lost their homes, clean water and sanitation to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases, food and medical assistance.

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “Our priority right now is to help save and protect lives as waters continue to rise. The scale of these floods has caused a shocking level of destruction – crops have been swept away and livestock killed across huge swathes of the country, which means hunger will follow. DEC charities are doing all they can but donations from the British public will make a huge difference in enabling them to reach more people. We’re urging everyone to give whatever they can at what we appreciate is a difficult time for us all.”

Waseem Ahmad, CEO at DEC member agency Islamic Relief Worldwide: “I've seen how whole villages have been swept away and submerged. I saw miles of nothing but water, where just a few days ago there were entire communities and people's homes. I've met so many families who fled for their lives just minutes before the floods arrived and they have lost absolutely everything they owned - their homes are destroyed, their livestock are dead and their crops are ruined. They don't know how they will feed themselves and their children.”

Stay up to date with developments in Pakistan, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on Twitter: www.twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee