A Race Against Time

After one of the deadliest earthquakes in recent history, rescue teams rushed in to search for survivors.

April 24, 2023

Courtesy of Robin Clement

Robin Clement

Robin Clement climbed over a pile of broken concrete. There was no time to lose. Three days earlier, a massive earthquake had struck Turkey, a country in the Middle East. Clement’s team had been called to a site in the city of Adiyaman (ah-dih-yah-MAHN). Rescue workers had found three people buried under rubble. Miraculously, they were all alive.

Clement is a member of the search and rescue team from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The team was there to assist Turkish rescue crews, hauling in equipment to break through the concrete. USAID also brought medical supplies to help survivors who had been trapped beneath fallen buildings.

Like hundreds of other rescue workers from around the world, the USAID team rushed to Turkey after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on February 6. It was one of the most powerful quakes to hit the region in about 100 years. Entire towns in Turkey and in the neighboring country of Syria were flattened.

The quake was also the world’s deadliest since 2010. More than 52,000 people died and about 119,000 were injured. But thanks to rescue workers like Clement, thousands were saved.

“It felt good to be able to help,” says Clement. “You could see in people’s eyes that they were thankful. It was very emotional.”

Searching Nonstop

The USAID rescue team has members from California and Virginia. They arrived in Turkey less than 24 hours after the quake. They raced against the clock as they worked through challenging conditions. Hundreds of aftershocks shook the region for several days. Meanwhile, temperatures dipped below freezing, and rescuers had to battle heavy winds, rain, and snow. Plus, many roads were blocked by debris, cutting off access to some areas.

For about two weeks, the team dug through crumbled buildings and other rubble. They used special cameras and crawled into small gaps between broken slabs of concrete looking for survivors.

“It was nonstop,” Clement explains. “You work for 12, 15, 20 hours, you sleep for 5 or 6, then get up and repeat.”

A Slow Recovery

More than two months after the quake, recovery efforts in both Turkey and Syria are far from over. About 240,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and 2.7 million people were left homeless. In Syria, much of the country was already devastated before the quake. A civil war has been raging there since 2011.

Some members of the USAID team are still overseas to aid in the rebuilding process. They’ve worked to provide temporary shelter in weatherproof tents and warehouses. They’re also helping to distribute the food, medicine, and other supplies that have been donated from around the world.

Sarah Charles, a leader on the USAID response team in Turkey, says it was inspiring to see the Turkish people come together during the crisis.

“You saw a huge outpouring of people helping their neighbors,” she explains.

Part of USAID’s mission is to help other countries become as prepared as the U.S. is for natural disasters. And if there is another emergency, Charles is confident that her team will be ready.

“People like Robin Clement are there to respond at a moment’s notice,” she says.