Missions

TSF deploys teams to support the populations in South Turkey and North Syria regions affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and 7.5 aftershock.

After the violent earthquake in eastern Turkey on October 23, 2012, a team from TSF intervened in less than 24 hours. In order to assess the telecommunication needs of the humanitarian community and the population, the team coordinated with the crisis centre in Van, then joined Erciş, the most devastated city.

On 11 March 2011 an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale triggered a tsunami in North-East Japan, with 10-metre waves ravaging the coastal areas and causing the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, with the explosion of the reactor of the Fukushima power station. The destruction of infrastructure, the shortage of fuel, and many power cuts to the capital make the situation extremely complex. TSF deployed from its base in Bangkok to provide its emergency communications facilities. The mission drew to a close due to the high risk of the nuclear alert.

Violent fighting between Russian and Georgian forces in the breakaway region of South Ossetia forced 160,000 civilians to settle temporarily in camps where living conditions were particularly difficult. At the request of OCHA, TSF deployed to provide telecom facilities for UNHCR-led assessments in the west of the country. More than 300 families were also able to contact their relatives during telephony operations.

TSF deployed for the first time to emergency relief in the aftermath of the Izmit earthquake in north-western Turkey.