‘Disaster of the century’: 1 year after the earthquake that demolished parts of Syria and Turkey
One year ago, Feb. 6, 2023, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook southern Turkey and northern Syria while people slept. The quake and hundreds of aftershocks killed at least 53,000 in Turkey and nearly 6,000 in Syria. More than 4 million buildings were damaged or destroyed. It was one of the most powerful quakes to strike that area where the Arabia and Anatolian plates come together.
The earthquake was shallow, increasing the damage and casualty numbers. There were also alleged irregularities, poor planning, lax enforcement, substandard material and lack of proper inspections.
The Hatay province in southern Turkey was particularly hard hit, yet two-thirds of the survivors ended up staying in the area. Many are now living in tents and container homes. Those homes are just like they sound: tiny pre-fab containers with about 220 square feet of living space, reports Reuters. Hundreds of unusable buildings are still waiting to be knocked down.
Emotional toll
Survivors speak of their ongoing struggles: the slightest rattle makes them jump, they struggle to make a living in a place where tourists used to go, the government that promised to rebuild is slow in fulfilling those promises. Some are still searching for loved ones.
One survivor, Sevcan Turk, lives in a tent with her three teenagers. She has planted a garden in yogurt tubs as a way to de-stress. “Our psychological situation is just a mess now; with every small earthquake, we panic. I saw so many dead bodies in the days after the earthquake. There was so much looting; we also feared for our safety,” she told The Washington Post.
For Syrian refugees living in Turkey, the situation is even more dire. Their needs for shelter, food and work come after Turkish people. At one tent camp, toxic wastewater ran through the camp. Toilets (the outdoor, hole-in-the-ground kind) were rare, and the landowner had just told the families living there that they needed to leave. To go where?
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Last year, a baby girl was pulled alive from the rubble, still attached to her dead mother by her umbilical cord. She was named Aya, a name that means “miracle” or “sign from God.” She has since been nicknamed Afraa, in honor of her mother. She was the sole survivor of her immediate family. This year, she turns 1, but there will be no birthday party. The memories are too painful, says her uncle and guardian. But, he hopes one day to tell her the story of the day she was born, reports The Associated Press. Aya was one of the lucky ones to be back with family.
Hundreds of children were not as lucky, according to Politico. A Turkish nongovernmental organization, the Children and Women First Association, said they have received complaints that Turkish children rescued from the rubble and sent to local hospitals had disappeared, falling prey, the parents say, to religious extremist groups and others.
Observing the ‘Disaster of the Century’
To mark the anniversary of the quake, thousands of people across Turkey took part in one or more events commemorating what the Turkish government has dubbed the “Disaster of the Century.”
In Antakya, the capital of Hatay province, a moment of silence was held at 4:18 a.m. Later, people threw flowers into the Orontes river that runs through the city. Along the river, people chanted “Can anyone hear me?” — echoing the voices of those buried under the rubble a year ago — and ”We won’t forget, we won’t forgive,” according to AP. Residents say many people died not because of the buildings collapsing, but rather from waiting for so long trapped in the rubble in the cold. Crowds also called for the mayor of Antakya to resign and booed the national health minister.
The eyes of the world will be back on Turkey and Syria this week, but probably not for long.
International aid, which poured in right after the quake, quickly dwindled, especially aid to Syria. The United Nations was able to secure just over one-third of the aid it needed for its 2023 humanitarian support in Syria. The World Food Program announced in December that it would be ending its main food program this year due to lack of funding, a decision that could impact millions. No wood can be found to burn for heat, so people are burning plastic, filling their tent cities with toxic smoke. People are doing whatever they can to survive.
Ahmed Koteich, a construction worker, told AP: “The international community said it stood with the residents, with their thoughts and rhetoric. But this talk won’t help the people here.”
Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy
