Ireland sends second consignment of tents for earthquake victims in Turkey
15/11/11IRELAND has supplied an additional 200 tents to provide vital shelter to more than 4,000 people in eastern Turkey who were left homeless by two devastating earthquakes.
Minister of State for Trade and Development, Jan O’Sullivan, authorised the second shipment in response to a renewed appeal from the Turkish Authorities. The tents were delivered to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Administration over the weekend.
Minister O’Sullivan said: “To date, more than 640 people have lost their lives as a result of the destruction caused by the two earthquakes which struck Van and Bitlis provinces in eastern Turkey. More than 2,000 buildings have collapsed, leaving 200,000 people homeless.
“Shelter is particularly important now as the local population is enduring harsh winter conditions, with temperatures dropping below zero at night. This latest shipment brings to 824 the number of family tents provided by Irish Aid since the earthquakes wreaked havoc on parts of eastern Turkey.”
The tents were airlifted to Turkey from Irish Aid’s pre-positioned stocks in the United Nations’ humanitarian depot in Brindisi, Italy. This follows an earlier airlift of more than 600 tents and 3,000 blankets from Ireland’s humanitarian stockpile in Dubai. The total cost of the two airlifts is €400,000.
Minister O’Sullivan said officials from the Irish Embassy in Turkey continue to work with the Turkish Authorities and the UN in Ankara to assess how the international community can support the massive relief operation undertaken by the Turkish Government.
Press Office
15 November, 2011
For further information, visit www.irishaid.gov.ie or contact Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Officer, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 01-4082653 or 087-9099975.
• Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas aid programme. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
• Irish Aid maintains emergency stocks within the UN Humanitarian Relief Depot system located in or close to crisis-prone parts of the world. Through this network Irish Aid maintains supplies in Panama, Malaysia, Dubai, Ghana and Italy (Brindisi).