OVERVIEW
On 6 February 2023, the 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes centered in Pazarcık Elbistan (Kahramanmaraş), Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Adana and Elazığ provinces, along with the epicenter Kahramanmaraş, resulted in significant damage and disruption. Consequently, a state of emergency was declared in these regions. According to official statistics, 50,783 individuals perished, 115,353 sustained injuries, and 37,984 structures were destroyed.
The earthquake-affected region was home to a total population of 14 million, comprising 1.8 million migrants and 14 million local residents. Of the latter, 7.1 million were in the severely affected areas. The current estimates indicate that at least 2.7 million people, including migrants, were displaced in a variety of settings, including those who chose to stay close to their homes and those who moved further away from their previous place of residence. In addition to the significant challenges associated with loss of life, damage to the region, and displacement, the earthquake also resulted in considerable economic damage to the region. Before the earthquakes, the country was home to approximately 3.5 million Syrian refugees, a significant proportion of whom have been forced to flee once more. The disaster served to increase existing tensions between refugees and host communities and to exacerbate the ongoing economic crisis.
Immediately following the earthquake, IBC was operational in Hatay, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa, providing shelter, healthcare, hot food distribution, in-kind assistance, protection, MHPSS, child-friendly space activities, and livelihoods. IBC has been publishing regular situation reports since the earthquake and published its latest situation report in December 2023. As indicated in this situation report, ten months after the disaster that affected nine million people, emergency response and recovery efforts were still ongoing in the region. In order to improve the economic and social structure, activities such as creating job opportunities, supporting small businesses, and diversifying income sources have gained importance. The earthquake resulted in the displacement of 3.3 million individuals and a significant decline in the regional economy. Concurrently, 3,752 of the 8,444 historic buildings that constitute the region's cultural heritage, which has been home to 13 distinct civilizations over its unique millennia of history, were damaged or destroyed. Experts anticipate that the cost of reconstruction and restoration will exceed billions of dollars. In this context, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has initiated a global fundraising campaign with the objective of raising funds to restore damaged or destroyed cultural heritage.
The ongoing effects of the disaster have highlighted the continued need for mental health and psychosocial support for those affected, both individually and collectively. In addition to this, protection risks persist in disaster area, container cities and tent areas, rural areas, and temporary accommodation centers where refugees live. The lack of adequate physical infrastructure, the inadequacy of safe and social areas, the decline in livelihoods, the reduction in privacy, and the potential for an increase in gender-based violence and domestic violence in these areas in the region also contribute to the heightened risk of child protection issues. The disaster, which had a profound impact, also affected the education sector, as well as numerous other sectors. According to a report published by the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of Turkey in February 2024, approximately 3.7 million students and 220 thousand teachers in 11 provinces were affected by the earthquake disaster. While many students were transferred to other cities, scholarship quotas were increased, and materials and containers were transferred to the region.
A review of the available data from field studies and observations suggests that the needs are still considerable and that the recovery process will take years to complete. In this context, a needs analysis study has been conducted with the objective of making a comprehensive determination of the needs in the disaster area.