Attachments
1. Developments
Three months have passed since the devastating earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş. The Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey announced in its latest statement that the death toll from the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş was 50,783, with 107,000 reported injuries. However, these numbers are undoubtedly under representative of the true count as there are many reports from villages where victims who lost their lives were buried without obtaining death certificates from the district prosecutor.
The number of migrants who lost their lives in the region is reported as 7,302, with 297 missing persons reported.
While the earthquake zone was still recovering from the shock of the disaster on Wednesday, March 15, it was struck by another calamity. The floods in Adiyaman and Şanlıurfa shook the region once again, resulting in the loss of 20 lives.
While aftershocks continue to unsettle the eleven affected provinces, the demolition of heavily damaged buildings is still underway. According to the latest data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the number of people directly affected by the earthquake in the 15.8 million population of the eleven provinces is 9.1 million. This population includes 2.6 million young people aged 15-24, 2.4 million women of reproductive age, and 1.7 million individuals with refugee status. UNFPA states that the number of pregnant women directly affected by the earthquake is 130,000, and the number of expected births in the coming month is 14,400.
It is reported that the population in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, and Adiyaman has decreased by nearly half, with 70% of the survivors from the earthquake expected to have disabilities.
According to current data, 2.4 million people in the affected areas are residing in temporary settlements and tent areas, while adverse weather conditions are making living conditions in the region more challenging. Erratic temperature fluctuations require extra precautions for emergency shelters.
Observations and analyses conducted in the field indicate that many of the irregular tent areas lack basic needs, protection, and healthcare services. Particularly in these irregular settlements, there is a need for safe spaces and specialized services.
The affected population, trying to sustain their lives in tents and container cities, emphasizes that despite ongoing relief efforts, the needs are still not adequately met. Especially housing, water-sanitation-hygiene, and psychosocial support, as well as protection assistance, are needed. Additional support efforts are also required for pregnant women to access pre- and postnatal care and birth kits.
While more efforts are needed to ensure the continuity of education in the disaster zone, it is stated that approximately 4 million children in the region have been affected by an interruption in their education.
Therefore, the Ministry of National Education is organizing a summer school program in the region from August 1st to September 1st.
The Presidency announced that a project of constructing 650,000 new houses and village homes would be implemented to rebuild all the cities affected by the earthquake. It is emphasized that global-scale and sustainable support is needed to implement the long-term recovery plans of the eleven provinces.