Volunteer Logistics in Mega-Disasters: Lessons from the 6 February 2023 Earthquakes

On 6 February 2023, two major earthquakes (Mw 7.7 and Mw 7.6) struck southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria, causing widespread destruction across multiple provinces. Severe winter conditions, damaged transport infrastructure, and continuous aftershocks created extraordinary pressure on humanitarian logistics—especially warehousing, transport planning, and last-mile distribution. In this context, volunteer logisticians became a critical force for moving life-saving relief items quickly and fairly.

In Türkiye, AFAD led overall coordination in collaboration with municipalities, NGOs, and international partners. The early response demonstrated that logistics performance depends not only on the volume of aid, but on how well flows are organized. Road damage, congestion on key corridors, limited fuel and vehicle availability, and insufficient last-mile capacity meant that poorly coordinated movements sometimes increased bottlenecks rather than reducing them.

A major challenge was spontaneous volunteer convergence. When volunteer logisticians arrived without registration, tasking, or a clear chain of command, the result could be duplication (multiple teams doing the same sorting), competition for trucks and forklifts, inconsistent documentation, and unsafe work practices in unstable environments. These issues can reduce throughput, compromise accountability, and delay delivery to the highest-need locations.

Key lessons for volunteer logisticians in large-scale disasters include:

• Work within the coordination system: Register with a recognized organization and follow assigned tasks, reporting lines, and dispatch rules (who moves what, where, and when).
• Protect the flow, not the stockpile: Prioritize throughput—fast receiving, sorting, and dispatch—over hoarding or over-accumulating items at a single hub.
• Inventory discipline is non-negotiable: Use simple, consistent tracking (receiving logs, bin locations, dispatch notes, and delivery confirmation) to avoid loss, duplication, and inequity.
• Last-mile distribution is the hardest mile: Plan for small vehicles, short-haul shuttles, and flexible delivery points; match loads to real needs and local access conditions.
• Safety and standards first: Apply basic warehouse safety (PPE, lifting rules, traffic lanes, shift rotation) and protect volunteers from aftershock and weather risks.
• Data is logistics power: Share daily situation updates—stock levels, bottlenecks, fleet status, unmet needs, and delivery performance—to support prioritization and prevent congestion.

For future mega-disasters, structured volunteer logistics systems—pre-registration, rapid onboarding, role-based training, and standardized reporting—are essential. When volunteer logisticians are integrated into coordinated supply chains, they increase speed, transparency, and equity of distribution, turning solidarity into reliable operational capacity.