The 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, leveled 110,000 buildings, did $84 billion in damage, and took at least 50,000 lives.
But tea production was spared from the disaster. Processing facilities in the tea lands near the Black Sea reported no significant damage. Rize, the center of tea production, is 350 kilometers north of the closest of the twin epicenters.
“All of the tea factories and gardens are safe,” Dr. Saziye Ilgaz, a leading tea researcher, told STiR.
Many venues that serve tea, on the other hand, were damaged. About 20% of the nation’s 200,000 cafes, restaurants, and bars were hit, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Fortunately, few of these were occupied when the first quake struck, at 4:17 a.m. Tea drinkers in Turkey consume an average of 1,300 cups a year, much of it out of home, which is why there are Turkish tea houses in every town, city neighborhood, and village.
Given freezing winter temperatures, hot cups of Turkey’s favorite beverage are playing a vital role in relief efforts. Çaykur, Turkey’s largest tea enterprise, with offices across the nation, dispatched mobile tea vans and rushed aid to victims within hours of the disaster. Emergency supplies of tea have been pouring into Turkey from Sri Lanka, Europe, and neighboring countries.
Rescue efforts have involved 138,000 workers from dozens of nations. First responders saved the lives of approximately 8,000 people injured or trapped under the rubble, including some who survived 200 hours in snow and freezing rain.
Hundreds of thousands are homeless, far more than can be served by relief workers. Ad hoc groups in quake-hit areas have set up tea stands where crowds gather to warm themselves and share information on places to stay and to eat.
The quake epicenter in Parzarcik District, near Kahramanmaras, is 342 kilometers (213 miles) south and west of Rize, the heart of Turkey’s tea-producing region. Later in the afternoon of February, a second major quake hit near Elbistan. This second epicenter is 425 kilometers from Rize. The quakes caused extensive damage along the East Anatolian Fault, which runs through southern Turkey and rebel-held northern Syria. Relief Web reported 1,500 aftershocks, the largest registering at 6.3.
Turkey is the world’s fifth-largest producer of tea, with a vibrant domestic market and the world’s highest average per-capita consumption. Tea drinkers consume 95% of all domestically grown tea, plus another 20 million metric tons of imports. Sri Lanka supplies 68% of Turkey’s imports by value.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior, is accepting direct funds transfers via T.C. Ziraat Bank, Inc., Ankara Public Corporate Branch.
Donations are accepted in Turkish lira, U.S. dollars, and euros. Choose the AFAD account for the currency of your donation:
• Turkish lira: TR73 0001 0017 4555 5555 5552 04
• U.S. dollars: TR 46 0001 0017 4555 5555 5552 05
• Euros: TR 19 0001 0017 4555 5555 5552 06
SWIFT Code: TCZBTR2A