Aid agencies and governments have been working hard to send assistance to parts of Turkey and Syria that were destroyed by an earthquake. However, many of the people who have lost their homes are still in need of basic necessities such as shelter from the cold. In Syria, the civil war has made it difficult to distribute aid. In Jinderis, a town that was one of the worst hit by the quake, Ahmed Ismail Suleiman set up a shelter of blankets outside his damaged house. He and his family of eighteen were too afraid to move back inside. Mahmoud Haffar, head of the local council, said that they have been able to collect 2,500 tents, but 1,500 families are still without shelter.
In Latakia, Raeefa Breemo said that only those in shelters seemed to be receiving help. Offers of help have come from all over the world, but the needs remain immense. In Turkey, the water system has been damaged and samples taken from it have shown that it is unsuitable to drink. Families have taken shelter in train carriages in Iskenderun.
The United Nations announced a deal with Damascus to deliver aid through two more border crossings from Turkey to rebel-held areas of northwest Syria. However, logistical problems remain. A Saudi aid plane carrying 35 tons of food landed in Aleppo on Tuesday.
The death toll from the quake has risen to 35,500, with over 1,400 in government-held areas and 2,200 in rebel-held areas in Syria. Rescue teams have been able to pull people from the rubble, including Emine Akgul who was pulled from an apartment building in Antakya and 18-year-old Muhammed Cafer Cetin in Adiyaman Province.
At a temporary shelter in Afrin, 190 families are sleeping on the floor of a basketball court. Sabah el Khodr said she and her two toddlers have been sick for the past nine days. Local officials said the shelter is temporary until new tents are secured.