Türkiye: 2023 Earthquakes Situation Report No. 15, as of 20 April 2023 [EN/TR]

This report is produced by the OCHA mission in Türkiye in collaboration with humanitarian partners and covers the humanitarian situation and earthquake response in Türkiye. It covers the period from 14 to 20 April 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Difficult weather conditions, including heavy rain and flooding, strong winds as well as increasingly hot weather in some areas, pose additional challenges to the humanitarian response.

• An estimated 1.6 million people continue to live in informal settlements, mostly in makeshift shelters or tents, with very basic living conditions and limited access to services. They are urgently requiring increased services such as clean water, adequate sanitation, access to information on available services and social protection schemes.

9.1M affected people

5.2M targeted for humanitarian assistance

3M people having to relocate from their homes

1.6M people staying in informal settlements

4M children affected

SITUATION UPDATE

The response to the earthquakes in Türkiye continues to be led by the Government of Türkiye in coordination with Türkiye’s national disaster management authority (AFAD) and with support from the Turkish Red Crescent. The international humanitarian community continues to support the government in providing immediate assistance to the affected population. In a collaborative effort, humanitarian partners are mobilizing emergency teams and relief operations, delivering relief items such as food, medical supplies, shelter, hygiene and dignity kits and WASH assistance, among other essential needs.

Earthquake affected areas continue to be affected by difficult weather conditions, particularly impacting those living in informal sites and tent cities. This includes heavy rain coupled with strong winds causing flooding and destruction of tents and containers. On 20 April, a heavy storm occurred in Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş. Tents and containers in both informal and formal sites were blown away and damaged, exposing some of the affected families to harsh weather conditions. Unconfirmed reports suggest that one child died and 44 people were injured during the storms with approximately three hundred families affected.

In parallel, in some areas (e.g. Hatay province) increasingly hot weather will require adaptation and mitigation measures for emergency shelters.

Additionally, several earthquakes occurred over the past few days across several provinces, according to Türkiye’s national disaster management authority (AFAD). One earthquake of 4.6 magnitude in Elazığ on 20 April, one of 3.6 magnitude in Hatay on 17 April and another of 3.8 magnitude in Muğla province on the same day.