Earthquake survivors' problems remain as they were on day one... 'Promises made were not kept'

The destruction caused by the February 6 earthquakes centered in Maraş was severe. In the earthquake that affected 11 provinces, citizens are waiting for a solution to their problems as soon as possible.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?"

According to a report by İlayda Kaya from BirGün; Sakine Ç., who has been staying in a tent with her 2 children in the Samandağ district of Hatay, said that they have been struggling with electricity and water problems for months and that her children are frequently getting sick. Sakine Ç. noted that when it rains, the city is practically covered in dark clouds. Explaining that they are left in the cold until morning, especially when it rains at night, Sakine Ç. stated that their blankets and pillows soak up water and their belongings are getting moldy day by day. Sakine Ç. described what they are going through with tears in her eyes as follows:

“After our house was destroyed in the earthquake, we couldn't find anywhere to stay. When it rains, everything turns to mud, and all our belongings and clothes get wet. They get moldy. Winter is at the door, what are we going to do now?”

Serbay Mansuroğlu from the Solidarity Volunteers, who carries out intensive activities in Hatay, reminded that they face flooding with the slightest rain. Mansuroğlu said: “Some of the citizens in Hatay are staying in tents, and a significant portion are staying in containers. The containers face flooding during even the slightest rainfall. They are thinking about how they will spend the winter. Citizens have started to request heaters, air conditioners, and tarpaulins. The support sent for solidarity has decreased. There is no quality, drinkable water in the city. This is also one of the people's demands. The same picture has existed since the first day of the earthquake. We are calling on the government and local administrators to find permanent solutions to people's problems.”

WE CAN NEVER GET WARM

In Adıyaman, where 409 people lost their lives and all infrastructure and superstructure collapsed, citizens in the Gölbaşı district explained that houses were leveled by the earthquake and the remaining houses were heavily damaged. Saying that they cannot even find a place to put their clothes and food, the earthquake survivors said, “How will we stay in a container in the winter, in the snow and blizzard? No matter what we do, we cannot get warm. Let our house be built as soon as possible." In Malatya, demolition work continues. Latife Ulutaş, President of the Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association Malatya Branch, said that as an association, they are trying to support earthquake survivors in Yeşilyurt with 4 containers and 8 tents. Stating that the downpours in the past months damaged the tents and containers and that the containers were flooded, Ulutaş explained: “After May, there was another heavy rain and a flood occurred. Flood waters had dragged the containers and tents away. With such an example, we are not ready for the challenging winter conditions ahead. People want their homes. When it rains, even if we put pallets underneath or cover the top, we cannot prevent flooding”

Citizens living in the Elbistan district of Maraş, which was leveled by the disaster, said that demolition work in the city continues. Hüseyin Abacı, Manager of the Elbistan Pir Sultan Abdal Cultural Association Branch, said, “Some earthquake survivors here are still surviving with the support of their neighbors. The earthquake zone is in a terrible state. There is unremoved debris. Our water has been coming regularly for the last few weeks, it was very bad before” he said. A citizen staying in a tent also said, “The state did not forget us. It needs to remember in order to forget. We want a house, there is no house. Will our house be given after this point? I don't think so” he said.

IT WAS REVEALED THAT MATERIALS WERE STOLEN

Investigations into the destroyed buildings are also ongoing. While contractors and those responsible are being arrested within the scope of the investigations, expert reports continue to be prepared. In the prepared reports, it was revealed that buildings such as the Ebrar Site and the Isias Hotel, which were destroyed and became graves for many people, were structurally unsound and that materials were stolen.

PROBLEMS OF EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS

The problems that earthquake survivors have been experiencing for 9 months are as follows:

The asbestos problem persists.

Problems in the health system cannot be solved.

Inadequacies in containers and tents persist.

Air conditioning and food support are not provided.

Water and electricity outages continue.

ASBESTOS DETECTED IN THE CONTAINER CITY AREA

Demolitions of heavily damaged buildings continue in Maraş. While the surroundings are covered in a cloud of dust with the demolitions, problems regarding the asbestos danger voiced by experts also draw attention. According to the latest report of the TTB (Turkish Medical Association), asbestos was detected in 8 out of 21 samples taken from Maraş, 2 out of 15 samples in Elbistan, and 2 out of 30 samples in Adıyaman. The most striking detail in the report was the detection of actinolite-type asbestos in the area where the Karacasu Container City, where approximately 6 thousand people live in 1500 containers, is located.

HEALTH IS ALARMING

The collapsed health services in the region have not been able to recover either. Primary health care services are still being provided in containers. Hospital buildings in the cities are serving with infrastructure and superstructure problems, and are flooded during heavy rains. Preventive health services provided in the cities are also disrupted. TTB says, “Public service must be ensured to be structured with all components of health as soon as possible.”

6 OUTAGE WARNINGS IN THE LAST 1 WEEK

The water problem continues in some cities in the disaster zone. A citizen living in Malatya drew attention to the unresolved network problem and said, “The water problem continues. We are also experiencing power outages. They close the roads during peak traffic hours, saying ‘there is demolition on the main roads’.” On the other hand, frequent electricity and water outages are also experienced in Hatay. HATSU has shared 6 water outage warnings on its social media account in the last week. On the other hand, problems in the field of education in the earthquake zone are not being resolved either. While the accommodation and transportation problems of educators in the region are not being resolved, solutions are not being found for many problems of students, especially books and stationery.

REACTION POURED IN!

The government continues to prepare for a new rent project under the pretext of “earthquake” and “urban transformation”. With the changes made to the “Law on the Transformation of Areas Under Disaster Risk”, known as the Urban Transformation Law, parks, military areas, and neighborhoods and areas with settlements on them will also be converted into reserve areas. Citizens who say that this change, which threatens the title deeds of the citizens, is unconstitutional, reacted strongly.