The emergency-response telecommunications NGO Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF)has answered Turkey’s call for international help, following this week’s devastating earthquakes in the South West of the country.

TSF’s team left for the area this Tuesday 7 February 2023. Specialists are currently in contact with NGO and UN agency partners to provide rapid and coordinated emergency communications support in the affected areas.

The mobilisation follows two powerful and deadly earthquakes (7.8 and 7.5 magnitude) that occurred in the South of Turkey and Northern Syria in the morning of Monday 6 February.

Inmarsat’s thoughts are with all those affected by the disaster. We stand ready to support TSF as they provide essential satellite connectivity to coordinate relief and emergency response efforts.

A TSF update said “For charities and NGOs, this immediate aftermath is the time to gather, assess the situation, decide who is going to deploy and mobilise networks of humanitarian contacts. Following an emergency of this magnitude, the information gathered in the first few hours is crucial, especially when it comes to NGO coordination.”

As well as providing access to critical satellite communications in the aftermath of natural disasters, TSF also works with disaster prone regions to provide training and emergency telecommunications kits; provides access to information screens to support migrants and refugees; enables students to access computers and training in under-served communities.

Inmarsat has been a partner to TSF since 2000 and supports the agency with free airtime, financial aid and pro bono legal services. Since its creation, TSF has responded to over 140 crises in more than 70 countries providing communication means to over 20 million people and nearly 1,000 NGOs.