1 of 5 | The United States is ramping up efforts to get emergency search and rescue and humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of victims of two powerful quakes that struck Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Photo by Syria Civil Defense / UPI |
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Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. officials were gearing up their response to the earthquake in Turkey, with preparations well underway early Tuesday to dispatch at least two teams of international search and rescue workers to the scene.
The U.S. Agency for International Development said in a tweet it had activated Virginia Task Force 1, the urban search and rescue team of the Fairfax County fire department, and the USA-2 International Rescue Team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and was readying to deploy them to Turkey.
Announcing the LAFD deployment, interim fire chief Anthony Marrone told a press conference it would comprise a 78-member team of highly skilled and elite urban search and rescuers who were specially trained to assist in rescue efforts after severe earthquakes like the ones that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Firefighters, paramedics, doctors, canine search teams and structural engineers are among the specialties in the team which Marrone said he expected to spend up to two weeks, or more, assisting in Turkey.
USAID said the two teams would form part of its Disaster Assistance Response Team, which will work in close coordination with Turkish authorities on the front lines, as well as with partners on the ground and agencies across the U.S. government.
The DART is assessing the situation, identifying priority humanitarian needs, and working to provide search and rescue, USAID said in a news release.
Speaking earlier the head of USAID, Samantha Power, said she was devastated by the news of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria and pledged that the United States was committed to assisting in the recovery in any way it could.
''As rescuers attempt to save those still trapped in the wreckage and families who've lost their homes seek refuge, the United States is committed to providing immediate, life-saving humanitarian assistance on both sides of the border to help communities recover from this disaster.
''The quake was the worst to hit the region in nearly a century. Homes and entire communities have been wiped out. Thousands of people have already lost their lives, and many more remain trapped in the rubble,'' Power said.
''My thoughts are with the victims and their families, many of whom were already grappling with brutal losses from the war in Syria, including refugees and their host communities.''
As the international rescue and humanitarian effort gets underway, rescuers on the ground are scrambling to reach people buried under the rubble of thousands of buildings that collapsed after two powerful quakes hit the region Monday, about 12 hours apart.
Thousands of people have died in Turkey and Syria following the 7.8-magnitude quake which was followed by powerful aftershocks and scores more have been injured.
