Sweden sends 500 emergency homes to victims in Türkiye via rescEU
As a result of a cooperation project between Sweden and the EU, the European Commission has decided to activate EU joint preparedness to support the earthquake victims with emergency housing. As a result, 500 emergency homes with room for about 5 people in each will be sent from Sweden to Türkiye.
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is sending a pooled resource of emergency housing, beds, heaters and other essential equipment to help people whose homes have been destroyed as well as a response team to ensure that the resource is transported to the earthquake areas and erected jointly with the local organizations on the ground. This input will be carried out within the framework of rescEU and the major part is financed by the EU.
- The focus right now is the vital relief work of providing people with necessities such as food, water, shelter, medicines and accommodation. The advantage of the type of emergency accommodation that we are now sending is that they can be set up relatively quickly and at the same time used for a longer period of time while reconstruction is carried out, says Per Velandia, Head of the Humanitarian Inputs Unit.
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is following the situation in Türkiye and Syria on an ongoing basis and will continue to send additional resources and experts as and when requests are received. At the same time, continued support for several weeks and months to come is under preparation.
The Agency maintains a close dialogue with personnel on site in Türkiye and cooperation organizations in both countries. There is also collaboration underway with the Nordic countries. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is also Sweden's contact point for EU disaster alleviation management, coordination of requests and delivery of support.
Facts about rescEU
When EU countries are hit by severe disasters, national resources are sometimes not sufficient. RescEU is an extra protection network of EU resources that aims to strengthen preparedness and response capacity in various types of crisis, for example forest fires or pandemics.
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is responsible for one of rescEU's emergency stocks of medical equipment as well as helicopters and scooping aircraft available for forest fire fighting within rescEU. Carrying out inputs and strengthening national and international actors with competence and materials is one of several elements of the Agency’s operational mission that covers the entire threat scale – from accidents to war.