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Friday, 20 August 1999: A UNICEF flight carrying 27 metric tons of special
relief supplies targeting the needs of children will land in Ankara this afternoon,
the first stage of an effort to ensure that the youngest of Turkey's earthquake
victims get the help they need.
The UNICEF relief flight will focus on the emergency health and water requirements
of disaster victims, and includes 100 emergency medical packs for use by hospitals
and community medical centres. Each pack - containing a variety of basic medicines
and equipment - is designed to meet the emergency needs of 10,000 people for
a period of three months. Thus, the UNICEF health supplies will be enough to
serve one million people during the emergency relief operation.
UNICEF will also be supplying:
- 2 million water purification tablets;
- 2,500 rolls of plastic sheeting to help shelter the thousands of families
who have been left homeless;
- 50 portable water tanks each capable of holding 5,000 litres of clean water;
- 10,000 five-litre water containers;
- and cooking utensils, bedding, and basic first aid and medical supplies.
In addition, a team of UNICEF specialists will be assembling in Turkey over
the weekend to begin a week-long assessment of the needs of children and women
in the disaster-stricken areas. The team will include specialists in health,
nutrition, water, sanitation, and social and psychological issues. They will
join the members of the UNICEF country team who work year-round in Turkey and
who have been leading the agency's quake relief efforts on the ground as part
of the co-ordinated UN effort.
Beyond meeting basic emergency needs such as food, medicine and shelter, UNICEF
is concerned about the emotional well-being of children in the hardest-hit areas.
"A child's first reaction - fear - will quickly fade," said Ingrid
Leth, a clinical child psychologist with UNICEF. "This may give adults
the impression that the children are not affected. However, this is not the
case. Children are extremely aware of their parents' traumatic reactions. Trauma
experienced by the parents will have a great impact on the children, threatening
their basic sense of security," Leth said.
The UNICEF assessment team includes a child sociology and psychology expert
so that the agency can develop a long-term plan for helping the children of
Turkey cope with the emotional impact of the disaster. A UN team, including
UNICEF, flew by chopper over the affected areas on Wednesday, surveying thousands
of damaged homes and witnessing up close the vast need for international aid.
The UNICEF relief flight will depart from the agency's regional supply centre
in Copenhagen this afternoon, arriving in the Turkish capital of Ankara at about
6 P.M. (Ankara time). From there the relief supplies will be distributed by
truck to the hardest hit areas, about three hours away.
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