Earthquake in Turkey: One Year Later - Unfulfilled Promises, Shattered Lives

In the early hours of February 6 last year, Turkey was struck by a disaster of unprecedented scale. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Gaziantep, followed by a 7.5 magnitude quake in Kahramanmaras, causing widespread destruction across eleven provinces.

One year on, the aftermath of this catastrophe, now known as the "disaster of the century," continues to affect various sectors, particularly the agricultural sector. Toxic dust, affected water supplies, low quality harvests, and reduced sales due to mass population displacement are some of the problems faced by farmers.

The earthquake cost the country's economy more than USD 10 billion, leaving over 650,000 people unemployed. Hatay, one of the worst-hit provinces, was not spared. The absence of search and rescue operations in Hatay was heavily criticized for its lack of adequate emergency response and dismissal of recommendations and reports.

The residential complexes Palmiye and Hamidiye in Kahramanmaras, built without adhering to earthquake regulations, were found to be primarily at fault in an expert report prepared by the Konya Technical University. The Palmiye residential blocks were built with poor quality material and concrete. Despite being built in violation of engineering principles, Hamidiye was approved by relevant authorities and implemented without questioning.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to have people return to normalcy in a year's time, with housing provided by the authorities upon their completion. However, as of now, only 46,000 homes have been finalized, leaving many earthquake survivors in temporary shelters, containers, and tents.

Recently, President Erdogan vowed to deliver 75,000 housing units over the course of the next two months across the earthquake-affected provinces, and an additional 200,000 units by the end of 2024. This comes after criticism over the initial housing response.

In the midst of this, there is no central repository for data on the earthquake, making it challenging to accurately assess the extent of the damage and progress made in the rebuilding efforts.

Journalist Murat Agirel stated that the number of lives lost in all past earthquakes excluding the February 6 earthquake is 77,852 people. However, Murat Kurum, the AKP Istanbul candidate for mayoral elections, made a statement saying that 130,000 people died after the February 6 earthquake, which was criticized for potentially covering up the actual death toll. Officially, the earthquake resulted in the deaths of approximately 50,000 residents and wounded over 100,000.

As Turkey continues to grapple with the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, the nation remains resilient in its efforts to rebuild and recover.

Earthquake in Turkey: One Year Later - Unfulfilled Promises, Shattered Lives