Awareness - Earthquakes in Syria Leave a Deadly Legacy Behind

Do you know what happens when earthquakes strike in countries already torn apart by war?

The consequences are devastating! Essential buildings like hospitals, schools and entire communities collapse into rubble leading to greater displacement and difficulty to deliver humanitarian support. It also leaves a deadly legacy of unexploded weapons which could maim or kill people later.

That's the situation our teams are witnessing in northwest Syria right now.

The past 12 years have been brutal.

Experts believe it could take generations to remove the explosive devices and rebuild communities in the region.

"Risk of injury is high as crews work to clear rubble from the earthquakes," explains Gary Toombs, a weapons clearance expert for Humanity & Inclusion (HI). "It is extremely likely that many of the explosive ordnance that litters the buildings, streets and waterways have moved into areas that were previously cleared."

"Many people have moved into open areas out of fear of another earthquake or aftershock happening. But this is a risk as some of these damaged buildings have potential ordinances buried in them."

Musab is also a clearance expert and leads a team of more than 30 risk education specialists in northwest Syria. His team have been teaching communities how to safely rebuild their lives for over a decade.

Now, they are working in Syria to clear the rubble and teach people how to spot, avoid and report suspicious objects.

"Our main priority is to minimize the number of accidents by reinforcing the message: whenever you come across a suspicious object, call an expert," Musab says.

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