On February 6, 2023, two devastating earthquakes (M 7.8 and M 7.5) struck Türkiye and Syria, leaving hundreds of thousands of buildings collapsed, millions displaced and over 50,000 casualties. The level of destruction was so vast, and on the day of the earthquakes, AHAH decided to respond. On February 7, 2023, just one day after the earthquakes hit, the first DART member was on the ground in Istanbul, Türkiye and began coordinating with local and international organizations. 

Four days later, with a team of six, including two Turkish nationals, DART departed Istanbul for the affected areas to conduct assessments and determine how we could leverage our unique disaster relief model in a volunteer program.  Based on the needs of those impacted, the scope of work was identified, and a program set up that launched on March 6, 2023, just four weeks from DART’s initial arrival, where our teams were sorting donations, distributing supplies, and providing camp support. Learn more about our Türkiye Earthquake Relief program.