The toll of the destruction left by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria a month later – DW – 03/05/2023

At least 50,000 people have died, millions have lost their homes and 214,000 buildings have collapsed or are at risk since two earthquakes hit the region on February 6. Millions of people are still in dire need of assistance.

The deaths and damages spread to 11 provinces in Turkey alone. After one month, the death toll there is expected to rise because many of the victims are yet to be identified. Many people have not yet been officially recorded as dead, as the survivors continue to search for their loved ones. When asked by DW how many people are still missing, the Turkish Ministry of Justice did not comment.

Earthquake devastation covers 11 provinces in Turkey PHOTO: ELOISA LOPEZ/REUTERS

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, the survivors’ grief becomes intertwined with anger. People began asking how it was possible that so many buildings that were supposed to be earthquake-proof had simply collapsed, blaming the authorities and accusing them of negligence.

In many cases, construction companies do not appear to have followed building safety codes. To date, nearly 1,000 people are officially suspected of avoiding building regulations. At least 235 people have been arrested, 330 are under judicial control and four are in pre-trial detention. Arrest warrants were issued for 270 other suspects. Five of them are abroad, 82 have already been released, and 32 have died.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority warned of the potential catastrophic consequences of an earthquake that occurred years ago. It has also prepared and released plans for the period from 2019 to 2021 for disaster risk reduction.

In 2020, one of these plans predicted that a magnitude 7.5 earthquake would occur in Kahramanmaras province. This prediction came true on February 6th.

In 2020, scientists predicted a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Kahramanmaras.

According to UNICEF, about 5 million children have been affected by the earthquakes. On March 1, Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Services said that of the 1,911 children rescued from the rubble who did not require extensive medical intervention, 1,543 were returned to their families. Nearly 100 remain in the same ministry’s care, and 81 have yet to be identified.

The Ministry rejected reports that some children were handed over to Islamic groups and associations with official links. However, Halk TV, a station critical of the government, reported that 60 children were placed in three buildings in the Beykoz district of Istanbul where they were apparently in the care of Islamist groups.

DW’s Turkish service also reported that nine children were taken away from their parents and enrolled in a Koran school linked to the radical Ismaili branch of the Sufi order.

Turkey faces elections and billions in reconstruction costs

As Turkey heads to presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, the government is under heavy criticism. The campaign was briefly interrupted after the earthquake, but now appears to have resumed in earnest.

On March 1, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the opposition in a speech and indicated that the elections would be brought forward from June to May 14, confirming a declaration he made in January before the disaster. “The people will do, God willing, and as the time approaches, what is necessary on May 14,” he said in Ankara. A presidential decree is expected on Friday to make that date official.

It is not yet known how the vote will be in the cities most affected by earthquakes. There was a suggestion that voters from the earthquake area would be able to cast ballots in other cities for the presidential vote, but not for the parliamentary elections.

Turkey: Experts inspect buildings left standing after the earthquake

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The massive reconstruction task comes as Turkey is already in the midst of an economic crisis. The World Bank estimated that the earthquake caused at least $34.2 billion (€32.5 billion) in material damage. According to the Turkish Statistical Office, nearly 14 million people live in 11 major cities in the earthquake zone. The regional economy, which accounts for about 9.8% of the country’s GDP, is based on agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as textiles, steel, and energy.

Economist Mohvi Egilms, former Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, published a detailed study on the economic consequences of earthquakes. It was estimated that removing rubble, repairing damaged residential buildings and infrastructure, building new homes and government financial aid worth $2.5 billion would amount to a total of $48.7 billion. Of this amount, $27 billion will be allocated for the construction of new housing.

Economists said the devastation would lead to an increase in demand for many products and services, which in turn would lead to an increase in already high inflation. Murat Kublai, another economist, told DW that he expects inflation to reach at least 50% by the end of 2023.

Further restrictions have been placed on freedom of expression and the press in Turkey since the earthquake. The Radio and Television Supreme Council had already imposed fines of around 8 million Turkish liras (around 397,000 euros/$426,000) on three television stations for their coverage of the disaster.

Meanwhile, supporters of the two main soccer clubs Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, who recently called on Erdogan and his government to resign, have been banned from attending sporting events, leaving the two teams to play in empty stadiums.

A lot of the aid that is being sent to Syria is not getting to the people who need it.

In northern Syria, the February 6 earthquakes were the latest blow to a region already devastated by 12 years of civil war waged by Bashar al-Assad’s regime, backed by Russia and Iran.

Less information has come in from Syria in the weeks since the disaster, with many living in precarious places after years of fighting. The United Nations has estimated that some 8.8 million people have been affected by the earthquakes, many of whom are now homeless. Officially, the country has reported 5,900 deaths, but the actual number is probably much higher.

With international borders closed, many Syrians received no help at all in the first few days after the earthquakes. Although aid is now being sent to Syria, it is not reaching those affected. Large parts of the earthquake zone are not under the complete control of the system. The city of Idlib, the last rebel stronghold and home to more than two million people, is mainly controlled by Islamist militias. Observers said official aid would not get here.

Thousands of Syrians are too traumatized to sleep in their homes

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Before the earthquakes, there were already around 1.8 million displaced people living in makeshift tents, shelters and homes in northwest Syria. Now, many are forced to live outdoors in frigid temperatures.

Ammar Fayyad told DW’s Arabic Language Service reporter that he and his son were traumatized and live in a car. “Tents cost between $200 and $400, and we couldn’t afford that, so we decided to stay here.”

This article was originally written in German.

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