On Thursday, 2 March 2023, Minister-President Hendrik Wüst met with helpers from North Rhine-Westphalia in the state parliament building who provided on-site rescue support following the severe earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Aid workers from action medeor, Malteser International, I.S.A.R., the Federal Association of Rescue Dogs, the Workers' Samaritan Federation and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief had already travelled to the affected areas in the first few days after the severe earthquakes. Volunteers from REWE and the Rheinland Klinikum Neuss hospital also travelled to care for the victims. Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media and Head of the State Chancellery, also took part in the meeting.
Minister-President Hendrik Wüst: "The terrible images from the earthquake region in Turkey and Syria have moved me deeply - as has the commitment with which the international community has rushed to help the people affected. Numerous helpers from North Rhine-Westphalia have also made the journey. They have risked their own lives to help people in the greatest need. With their incredible commitment and courage, they have saved lives and given hope - for which I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart today. Their willingness to help and their compassion are the strength of our country and the foundation for good coexistence - in North Rhine-Westphalia and worldwide."
Minister Nathanael Liminski: "These helpers have lent their hands to our solidarity. In these difficult times, we are standing closely by the side of those affected on the ground and here in North Rhine-Westphalia as friends and partners. As the state government, we set up an interdepartmental task force at an early stage in order to respond quickly and specifically to requests for help from government agencies, international organisations and committed citizens' initiatives. The acute disaster relief on the ground must now be followed by a broad range of support programmes, both for reconstruction in the region and for the bereaved and relatives here in our state. For many people in North Rhine-Westphalia, too, this disaster continues to determine their everyday lives. We want to do everything in our power to support them."
In an interview, the aid organisations' relief workers reported to Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst on their experiences and the challenges of the mission, on the medium and long-term aid requirements in the region and on the coordination of relief operations. The devastating earthquake on 9 February 2023 in Turkey and Syria has so far claimed over 50,000 lives and injured over 100,000 people and is one of the worst natural disasters in the last hundred years. Many people are still missing and the United Nations estimates that over 1.5 million people have been left homeless in Turkey alone. Many city centres have been completely destroyed and are no longer habitable.
Due to the sometimes freezing temperatures, the ongoing aftershocks and the largely destroyed infrastructure, the danger for the people in the affected areas is not yet over. Minister-President Hendrik Wüst is therefore reaffirming his support for the appeals for donations by Aktion Deutschland Hilft and the Development Works Alliance: "Every euro counts. Every euro can mean a spark of hope for the many people in the earthquake region in Turkey and Syria who are suffering great hardship."
Further information and impressions of the visit can be found on the website of the State of NRW.
