Turkey, Syria earthquake: How Big Tech is coming to the rescue

The situation in Turkey and Syria continues to remain grim after massive 7.8 and 7.7 magnitude earthquakes hit the nations on Monday, claiming 7,926 lives and flattening numerous buildings. The world is racing to help disaster-stricken nations. Following Turkey’s rejection of Elon Musk’s offer to provide the Starlink network, tech companies have shown their support for the country. Tech giants Apple, Google and Amazon expressed their condolences towards the people affected by the powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria on Monday. They have also announced that they will be donating towards the relief and recovery efforts for the people. [caption id=“attachment_12121772” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Rescue workers search for survivors on a collapsed building in Malatya, Turkey. AP[/caption] Tech companies rush to offer aid over quake Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter and confirmed that the company will be donating towards the cause. He expressed his condolences and said, “Sending our thoughts and condolences to the people of Turkey, Syria and anyone affected by the devastating earthquakes. Apple will be donating to relief and recovery efforts.”

Sending our thoughts and condolences to the people of Turkey, Syria, and anyone affected by the devastating earthquakes. Apple will be donating to relief and recovery efforts.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 6, 2023

While Google CEO tweeted that his company has activated ‘SOS alerts’ to help in providing emergency information to the affected people. He added that the company and its employees will be doing their bit to support the people who find themselves at the brink of the tragedy. He wrote, “Thinking of everyone in Türkiye and Syria who are experiencing devastating loss after the earthquakes. We’ve activated SOS alerts to provide relevant emergency information to those impacted, and @Googleorg and Googlers will be supporting relief and recovery efforts.”

Thinking of everyone in Türkiye and Syria who are experiencing devastating loss after the earthquakes. We've activated SOS alerts to provide relevant emergency information to those impacted, and @Googleorg and Googlers will be supporting relief and recovery efforts.

— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) February 6, 2023

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The corporation said on its website, “Depending on the nature of the crisis and your location, you’ll see updates from local, national, or international authorities. These updates could include emergency phone numbers and websites, maps, translations of useful phrases, donation opportunities, and more.” [caption id=“attachment_12121802” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Rescue teams evacuate a survivor from the rubble of a destroyed building in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey. AP[/caption] Additionally, Amazon has also pledged to “donate relief items from our fulfilment centre in Istanbul to affected areas.” The company said on its website that its donations “will include items like blankets, tents, heaters, food, diapers, baby food, medicine, and other emergency items as victims face not only the damage from the earthquake but frigid winter weather.” It added, “To assist impacted communities, Amazon has activated its disaster relief capabilities and is responding to help meet the immediate needs of the Red Crescent and other relief organizations.” Also read: Turkey-Syria earthquake: How effective diplomacy can save lives during a disaster Ankara rejects Elon Musk’s offer According to Bloomberg, Twitter CEO Elon Musk on the microblogging site said that one of his companies, Space Exploration Technologies, could activate the Starlink network in the country as soon as it is approved by the Turkish government. However, the country declined Musk’s offer by saying that Ankara had sufficient satellite capacity. Well, this isn’t the first time that Musk has offered to assist states in times of crisis. Earlier, he offered to activate the Starlink network for war-struck Ukraine, after Russia’s invasion last year in February. The offer was welcomed by the Ukrainian government, according to The National News. As per the report, the space-based system communicates with ground-based sensors. It has been used by civilians in conflict-affected areas without internet connections, and by Ukrainian forces to coordinate over vast distances. Also read: Turkey, Syria earthquake: Rescuers race to find survivors as death toll mounts World powers extend their support Dozens of nations including the United States, China and the Gulf States have pledged to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air. Rescue teams from around the world have begun to arrive in Turkey to help with the massive search for survivors buried under the wreckage after the quake destroyed numerous buildings. India has dispatched National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams with 100 personnel and specially trained canine squads, as well as vital equipment such as medical supplies, advanced drilling machines, and other critical aid instruments, to Turkey for search and rescue operations. According to AP, the United Kingdom is sending 76 search-and-rescue specialists with equipment such as seismic listening devices, concrete cutting and breaking equipment, propping and shoring tools, and dogs, along with an emergency medical team. On the other hand, the United States has also pledged to “provide any and all needed assistance” to its NATO ally Turkey. The Biden administration was sending two, 79-person urban search and rescue teams to support the country’s efforts. Other countries like Japan, Russia, Pakistan, Ukraine, Qatar, Israel, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Europe, Iran, have also expressed condolences and extended aid to the disaster-hit countries. Also read: Turkey, Syria earthquake: Why the situation in Syria is being called a ‘crisis within a crisis’ Powerful earthquake hits Turkey and Syria The 7.8-magnitude quake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday as people slept, flattening thousands of structures, trapping an unknown number of people and potentially impacting millions. Whole rows of buildings collapsed, leaving some of the heaviest devastations near the quake’s epicentre between the Turkish cities of Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras. According to AFP, the latest toll showed 5,894 people killed in Turkey and at least 1,932 in Syria, for a combined total of 7,826 fatalities. [caption id=“attachment_12121812” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Emergency team members search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey. AP[/caption] There are fears that the toll will rise inexorably, with WHO officials estimating up to 20,000 may have died. WHO warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone. Rescuers in Turkey and Syria battled bitter cold on Tuesday in a race against time to find survivors under buildings flattened by an earthquake, reported AFP. Tremors that inflicted more suffering on a border area, already plagued by conflict, left people on the streets burning debris to try to stay warm as international aid began to arrive. The destruction led to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declaring Tuesday a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces. While the Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid as President Bashar al-Assad’s government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.