Communication problems persist in Hatay after the earthquake! 'We are not in a position to call 112'

In Hatay,following the earthquake, citizens who cannot use the internet at home due to infrastructure problems have been deprived of the ability to even say 'Hello' because there is no base station in the region to receive a signal. Citizens have to climb to the high points of the village to find a signal during rainy weather, facing great difficulties.

Following the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, the internet infrastructure in Hatay was severely damaged. In the Yaylacık neighborhood,located 20 kilometers from the Antakya district, the 1,500 residents are struggling to communicate via mobile phone and internet because the infrastructure was negatively affected by the earthquake. While the world has moved on to 5G technology, the residents, who are longing for the ability to make a simple phone call or video chat, are demanding that a base station be installed in the region.

"IT IS THE YEAR 2024, BUT WE CAN ONLY MAKE PHONE CALLS AT CERTAIN POINTS"

Stating that they cannot use the internet at home after the earthquake, Necdet Temiz noted that there is currently no network in their village. He said that they cannot use the internet due to the collapse of the infrastructure and are experiencing problems with communication. Temiz said, "It is the year 2024, but we can only make phone calls at certain points. The signal works in the area where the mosque is in the middle of the village; other than that, there is no signal in many places. The nearest point where we could call an ambulance is at least 1 kilometer away." he said.

Yasin Sökmen, who is also having difficulty communicating, said, "We tried to call, but we have no network. There is no way to communicate, not even a simple 'Hello'. The infrastructure is gone; we cannot communicate in any way. Let's take precautions as soon as possible so that life can return to normal." he said.

"IT USED TO WORK OCCASIONALLY"

Cengiz Yılmaz, who is waiting for support from the authorities regarding the communication problems in the region, stated that they have been used to using mobile phones since 1999 but cannot make normal phone calls in their village. Yılmaz, who wants their problems to be solved by the authorities as soon as possible, said,"It used to work occasionally, but it got even worse after the earthquake."he said.

Osman Ok, who has to walk 3 kilometers to call the emergency call center, said,"When we have a patient, we are not in a position to call 112. Let them come here and try to talk on the phone and connect to the internet; they will agree with us. Let them see for themselves whether there is a signal here or not." he said.

Celal Demir, who was talking to his children at a high point under the rain, stated that there is no phone signal where they live and said, "We are forced to come here from there. My children are in Manisa, we have to talk. It is difficult in the rain, but we have no other choice." he said.