Nineteen days removed from the original February 6 earthquake in southeastern Anatolia that has claimed over 43,000 lives, earthquake survivors in affected cities continue to struggle with lack of access to basic provisions such as tents and sanitation. Medyascope correspondents in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay spoke with survivors who described a shortage of aid and depraved conditions in affected areas.
Over two weeks removed from the tremors on February 6, relief efforts in the region have mostly shifted to cleaning up damaged buildings and assisting survivors as the window for recovering victims from under the rubble quickly vanishes. Criticism of the slow and insufficient government response to the disaster has been widespread since the quake, with many placing blame on AFAD, Turkey’s disaster response agency, as well as the top-down Turkish bureaucracy headed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that has allegedly hindered rescue efforts.
Tents still hard to come by
The critical lack of tents in southeastern Turkey for earthquake survivors remains a chief criticism of the disaster response thus far. In Hatay’s Samandağ district, Medyascope correspondent Edanur Tanış spoke with survivors staying in local greenhouses in lieu of proper accommodation as tents in the area remain few and far between. One family staying in a greenhouse with their handicapped child described their experience: “I wonder if they’ll send us generators and tents…You see my son’s condition, he is disabled, I need a generator and a tent to make him comfortable.” The few tents that are standing in the Samandağ district were reportedly sent by Danish and Swedish rescue teams who have passed through the area in recent weeks. The few tents sent by these teams reportedly house 12-14 occupants. Expressing frustration at the lack of help from the Turkish government itself, one survivor staying in a greenhouse told Medyascope correspondents “How is it possible that the teams from Sweden have come while our government still has yet to come and help us? They haven’t even come to wish us ‘get well soon.'”
Subpar hygiene conditions
Survivors in Kahramanmaraş, near the earthquake’s epicenter, spoke not only of a lack of tents but also subpar hygiene conditions in areas affected by the quake. When asked what the main needs are in Kahramanmaraş’s tent encampments, one resident said “You can already see. In some tents, several families live together. Sometimes, single tents are not enough for large families…Toilets are not clean, the food is insufficient and the number of tents is low.” Subpar hygiene conditions in southeastern Turkey in recent weeks has given rise to concerns of disease outbreaks in areas recovering from the quakes.
Kılıçdaroğlu visits the area
Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman and main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu made his third visit to Hatay yesterday (February 22) since the earthquake struck two and a half weeks ago. Survivors speaking to the CHP chairman reportedly described how tents remain in high demand, with many expressing indignation at the shortage of temporary accomodation in Hatay over two weeks after the quake. One local speaking to Kılıçdaroğlu also requested the resignation of local Hatay municipal governor Lütfü Savaş, also a member of Kılıçdaroğlu’s CHP. Istanbul Mayor and fellow CHP member Ekrem İmamoğlu also joined the CHP Chairman for part of his Hatay trip.
Local businesses remain shut
In Kahramanmaraş’s historical central market, most businesses remain closed due to concerns over damages to the main market buildings caused by the quake. A lone business owner in the market who had appeared to have reopened his fruit and vegetable stand for business told Medyascope correspondents Cansu Timur and Enes Berk Demirkol: “We are closing the shop. Expenses are too high, and no business comes. We are sad but there is really nothing we can do.”
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Tent encampment from Ankara Metropolitan Municipality
In Kahramanmaraş’s Dulkadiroğlu district, a tent encampment established by Ankara’s municipal government has succeeded in providing shower and laundry services to earthquake survivors. An official from Ankara Hüseyin Çankaya described the capital city’s relief efforts in Kahramanmaraş: “It is similar to many of the services we are providing in Ankara; urban infrastructure services, social services, pesticides, rural services here as well. For now, we will continue to do our best to meet the basic needs [of Kahramanmaraş] until the city recovers.”
This reporting was based on Medyascope‘s Turkish-language coverage from Hatay and Kahramanmaraş.
