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2 Months Have Passed Since the Disaster
“We have lived the apocalypse, now we are trying to get better”
International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation (IBC) would like to extend our sincere condolences to all those affected by the earthquakes. IBC employees in the region are safe and accounted for, though some have lost family members and loved ones and saw their entire homes destroyed. Thank you to all who continue to mobilize and to the heroic efforts of the many search and rescue teams. Immense and continued cooperation is needed to prevent further loss of life and suffering.
- Development
Two months have passed since the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, which are defined as the biggest disasters of recent years.
Türkiye Ministry of Interior announced that the loss of life in Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes increased to 50,399 and identification of those who lost their lives is still ongoing.
In Syria, which was affected by earthquakes, 8,476 people lost their lives.
On Wednesday, 15 March, the earthquake region experienced yet another disaster when extreme rains resulted in widespread, devastating flooding in Adıyaman and Sanliurfa. Currently, it is known that 20 people have lost their lives due to the flood.
While it is stated that all these disasters affected 16 percent of Turkey's population, that is 14 million people, life in the region continues in tents, container cities, and dormitories. On the other hand, the construction of permanent residences continues.
Those who experienced the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the Türkiye express their feelings by saying "We have seen the apocalypse".
Noting that the need for shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene services is still very high, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, "We urgently need more funds to help over 5 million people." 1 OCHA said only 28 percent of its $1 billion emergency fund calls were met. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke stated at a press conference that 3 million people were displaced in the earthquakes that directly affected 9 million people, and called for an emergency case.
Larke said, “We are now in what we call a humanitarian emergency. We are working to identify what survivors need and how we can support them. We have 3 months for this. We will implement these projects and they will continue in the future. That's why I'm still calling for support for the emergency relief campaign we started for Türkiye." 2 While a commitment of 7 billion USD was provided at the International Donors Conference held in Brussels on March 20, the findings included in the "Turkey Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Assessment Report", which explains the damage caused by earthquakes, were also presented at the conference. The report states that the damage caused by the earthquake is approximately 103.6 billion USD.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also stated that more than 20 percent of Turkey's food production was damaged in the earthquake, which affected 11 important agricultural provinces.
FAO pointed out that the earthquake-affected region of Turkey, known as fertile lands, constitutes about 15 percent of the country's agricultural income.
It is stated that more than one-third of the people in the earthquake areas made their living from agriculture but are now struggling under difficult conditions.
Along with the indescribable pain experienced in the region for 2 months, aftershocks still frighten earthquake survivors.
The survivors, on the other hand, demand long-term, sustainable, and effective support efforts.