Samaritan’s Purse has established an emergency field hospital in Antakya, Turkey for those critically injured in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6. 

The mobilization of resources from the Christian nonprofit began out of Atlanta as 92 tons of supplies were airlifted to Antakya on Feb. 10. The hospital became fully operational on Feb. 13, just one week after the earthquake struck. More than 100 Disaster Assistance Response Team members now staff the facility, which includes 52 patient beds, two operating rooms, and an intensive care unit. Supplies for the surrounding community were also airlifted, including blankets, solar lights, and hygiene kits. 

Within hours of opening, the hospital treated dozens of patients with broken bones, open wounds, and internal bruising. Since then, the stream of patients has been steady, especially as infections have begun to set in, which can trigger sepsis, tetanus, and even amputations. Ken Isaacs, Vice President of Programs and Government Relations at Samaritan’s Purse, estimates that over 80,000 people were injured by the earthquake.

The emergency hospital sits in the parking lot of a 1,100-bed hospital which is no longer functional due to structural damage. Many hospitals around Antakya have collapsed, making the work of Samaritan’s Purse and other humanitarian organizations all the more imperative. 

This is the fourth time Samaritan’s Purse has deployed their emergency hospital in the past year; the facility was established multiple times throughout Ukraine, providing surgical and medical care to those affected by the violence. Previously, Samaritan’s Purse also set up the field hospital in response to the 2016 earthquakes in Ecuador and various incidents of ISIS attacks in Iraq. 

Once built, the hospital will typically stay operational for a few months, and Turkey is no exception. The day after the earthquake, the president of Turkey declared the country to be in a three-month state of emergency. “My expectation is we will be there that long,” Isaacs told ABC 11. 

In a statement, Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, asked believers to “pray for everyone affected and for our Disaster Assistance Response Team as they meet these emergency needs. People are suffering, and we are there to meet their physical needs in Jesus’ Name.”