Relief continues after devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
More than 5,100 people died as a result of the tremors, which saw buildings collapse in seconds and left thousands trapped under what was left.
Patients left for dead in ‘forgotten hospitals’ – the latest earthquake
As emergency responders, military forces, aid workers and volunteers comb through the rubble, the international community is also committed to helping.
Technology is already playing a critical role, as it has in previous humanitarian disasters – here are some of the ways it could be used in Turkey And Syria in the days and weeks to come.
Drone
As drones are increasingly known for their role in modern warfare, especially in Ukrainethey are also valuable tools during natural disasters.
Numerous images from Turkey and Syria, showing the extent of the earthquake destruction, came via drones, which allow emergency responders to get a clearer picture of what happened.
Spain has said it will send drones to Turkey as part of its aid program.
Drones not only provide a bird’s eye view, but can also be equipped with sensors to assess damage, for example by detecting high levels of methane, which can indicate gas supply disruptions that risk ‘explode.
NASA’s FINDER tool
Packed in a device no bigger than a suitcase, NASA technology that can detect heartbeats under 30 feet of rubble has been used to help find survivors after earthquake.
In 2015, the space agency’s FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response) tool found four men buried under about 10 feet of bricks, mud, wood and other debris in the Nepalese village of Chautara.
Two years later, the technology was licensed to Mexican companies responding to a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City.
It works by sending a low-power microwave signal through the rubble and looks for changes in the reflections of those returning signals – which could be caused by small movements like breathing and heartbeat.
Learn more:
Death toll ‘could reach 20,000’
Before and after images show the devastation of the earthquake
The FINDER device can detect heartbeats under 30 feet of rubble. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/DHS
Satellite mapping
Hours after the first earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, the UN activated its satellite emergency mapping service.
It is essentially a live map, which aims to provide a real-time view of the damage caused by the earthquake and to show how severe its impact is.
But despite its name and function, the United Nations Satellite Center does not operate its own satellites – rather, it relies on member states to collect imagery from government agencies and private companies.
The EU has also activated its Copernicus satellite system to provide emergency mapping services.
Learn more:
“The Worst Earthquake”
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A satellite map of the areas affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Photo: United Nations Satellite Center
satellite internet
Elon Musk made a habit of offering help in times of crisis – whether it was welcome or not.
The Starlink internet service of his company SpaceX was brought to Ukraine to help the war effort last yearbut his deployment of engineers to help save a fledgling football team trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018 was not as welcome, and the backlash that followed ended up in court.
In the case of the earthquakes, Musk said SpaceX is ready to send Starlink “as soon as it’s approved” by the Turkish government.
Starlink prides itself on its ability to deliver lightning-fast broadband in the world’s harshest environments, with ground-based receivers connecting to thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.
The idea is that more satellites mean lower latency and more reliable service than other broadband companies, which traditionally use single satellites orbiting the planet.
Musk, Starlink and the war in Ukraine
Social networks
As in previous disasters, social media plays a key role in coordinating aid, finding people who need help and sharing eyewitness accounts of the worst affected areas.
A tweet from someone who said he was trapped under rubble at his home in the city of Antakya and needed help has been retweeted over 43,700 times and seen by 5.3 million of people.
Government agencies provided updates on their official accounts, while the Turkish Red Cross shared ways for people to offer help, including donations.
