Hopes of finding more people alive under earthquake debris have largely faded more than a week after massive earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria. It was heartening in recent days to see rescue teams from around the world, including from Hong Kong and mainland China, finding buried survivors well beyond the usual 72-hour survival window. Even without such compelling stories, the global community must remain focused on responding to the massive humanitarian crisis at hand and rebuilding efforts in the long term. The magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes triggered the “worst natural disaster in the WHO European Region for a century”, according to World Health Organization regional director Hans Kluge. On Tuesday, eight days after the quakes, he said about 26 million people still required humanitarian aid. Urgent needs include food and shelter against near-freezing conditions. Water, sanitation and healthcare facilities were severely damaged. Mass graves must be dug for the tens of thousands who have been killed, and hospitals are overwhelmed with those injured. Turkey has placed more than a million survivors in student housing and hundreds of thousands in tent cities. The representative for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in neighbouring Syria said as many as 5.3 million people were homeless in an area already ravaged by more than a decade of civil war. More border crossings have finally opened to allow flows of aid into the troubled country, but delays must certainly have cost lives. How 62-year-old diabetic survived 187 hours under rubble after Turkey quake Both nations will need the help of the international community to rebuild and recover. They are likely to welcome expertise from Hong Kong, as well communities on the mainland where recovery from quakes has successfully taken place in the past. Hong Kong has been stepping up its donations of money and supplies. The city has long been listed as one of the most generous in the world. While charitable donations have fallen globally during the pandemic, economic hardship linked to Covid pales in comparison to the loss quake victims face. Helping them offers a chance to reignite a spirit of giving as the city returns to normality.