Humanitarian Transition Overview – Türkiye Earthquake Response (August 2023) – Türkiye

August 15, 2023 admin-dominor

Objectives

OCHA developed this Humanitarian Transition Overview (HTO) on behalf of the Inter-Sector Coordination Group and humanitarian partners working in response to the earthquake. The document is intended to ensure the continuity of humanitarian support, in complement to the response provided by the Government of Türkiye. The HTO presents the ongoing humanitarian response in the most affected areas, provides a light needs overview by population groups and locations, and sets out the priorities for the UN Country Team Plus (UNCT+) in the remainder of 2023 and beyond.

The HTO does not include figures for people to be targeted nor financial requirements, and it will not be included in the Global Humanitarian Overview for 2023. It presents more detailed information linking to the recovery framework currently drafted by the UNCT+ and stipulates principles of engagement for continuing humanitarian needs in the country.

Situation Overview

Following the two earthquakes that struck Türkiye on 6 February 2023, humanitarian actors have supported the Government of Türkiye’s efforts in providing emergency assistance. As of the end of the Flash Appeal in May 2023, targeted assistance for critical humanitarian needs has been provided to 5.4 million people. This assistance complemented the Government’s efforts to provide a wide range of social protection packages for affected families, farm owners and businesses, establish temporary shelter solutions while also beginning the reconstruction of homes.

With more than 9 million people affected and approximately 3.6 million people left without homes to safely reside in, a significant amount of time will be required to rebuild, restore markets and support families to find sustainable solutions, particularly in the four most affected provinces.

As of 8 August, based on findings from the second round of DTM/TSS site mapping, there 181,264 households living in temporary sites in the four most affected provinces, a 59% decrease compared to March 2023 round one data. For informal sites alone, 100,159 households were identified in August 2023, representing a 64% reduction since March. Figures from authorities show that there are 344,016 people in 40 formal tented sites (23,211 people), and 349 container sites (320,805 people).

Based on applications for rental assistance versus containers, a considerable number of people in informal sites are not necessarily awaiting relocation to a formal site and may prefer alternative shelter solutions.

Overall, the situation remains highly fluid. Efforts to consolidate sites and expand container sites have led to a series of relocations and movements.

Returns have been observed by some households that departed the affected areas after the earthquake. For example, half a million people in Hatay were reported to have departed after the earthquake, with 159,087 returns recorded (28 per cent of those who departed) in June 2023. In Malatya, of the 804,896 pre-earthquake population, an estimated 300,000 departed, with 109,225 returns recorded as of June (approximately 42 per cent). In Adiyaman, only nine tent cities are left, three of which are populated by Syrian refugees. In general, populations are residing in informal sites for many reasons, including being evicted from homes by landlords, even in the absence of damage, and facing difficulties in accessing alternative accommodation. As noted, a significant majority of people who are from medium, heavily or totally damaged homes have opted not to seek container support and instead have applied for rental support. Many of these people now face challenges accessing rental options due to increased prices and lack of available stock, making up a large majority of people who are currently in tented sites.

Overall, settlement relocations and consolidation are perceived to have a lack of options or sustainable solutions. A recent study indicated that information gaps related to relocation, fuelled further feelings of distrust. Anecdotal evidence shows there has been an effort to notify communities, support with transportation of items and provide an alternative location, but there has been confusion among all communities about this process. More efforts are required to create communication channels with relevant authorities, municipalities and others to ensure there can be enhanced consultation and discussion on potential options, expected services and the ways in which the settlement relocation may be part of longer-term solutions.

Therefore, the situation requires an agile approach in meeting the needs, especially in informal settlements, while also increasingly supporting interventions in formal sites to ensure conditions meet minimum humanitarian standards. While there is a wide range of needs, many priority needs are highly context dependent. Shelter remains a top priority in the short and long term, while other priorities include but are not limited to the provision of public services, such as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), cash and livelihood support.

Socioeconomic recovery support is critical to help people on pathways to more sustainable solutions. Small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, and local farmers and workers have been particularly negatively impacted, requiring support to resume economic activities and value chains to create livelihood/income-generating activities and bringing back/retaining skilled workers in the most affected areas.

Affected populations face many additional challenges, with reports of harmful coping mechanisms such as a reduction in food intake, expenditure on essential non-food items and health expenses. Women are reducing expenditure on hygiene items, while men are more likely to rely on increased borrowing. This is reinforced by evidence of significant disruption to livelihoods for many families, particularly those in informal sites. Between May and June 2023, the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) assessment by the Food Security and Livelihood sector reported a 2 per cent increase in the cost of MEB. At the end of July, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) concluded that the Consumer Price Index reached 47.83 per cent. Partners also observed an increased number of people accepting high-risk, illegal, socially degrading or exploitative temporary jobs, including begging.

Access to education has been hampered for nearly 4 million children, including 350,000 refugee and migrant children. Of the 450,000 refugee children who remain out of school nationally, more than 240,000 reside in the affected provinces. Education resumed in all earthquake-affected provinces by the end of April without mandatory attendance requirements, but attendance levels in Hatay and Malatya remained below 50 per cent. School registration transfers were allowed from the earthquake-affected areas. However, for the children under temporary protection, their lack of ID or official travel permits became another barrier to their access to education. The situation of affected children appears very fragile, also because of high levels of non-attendance at school. Prior to the earthquake, in the affected region more than 3,7 students were attending more than 11,000 schools that were changed dramatically by the earthquakes. Children seem to see their food intake reduced more than adults (by 3 per cent more), as for other essential service/items expenditures (by 8 per cent more) and medical care (by almost 12 per cent more). Boys and girls are highly exposed to labour (32 per cent), marriage (17 per cent) and begging (16 per cent).

In addition to basic needs, many people impacted by the earthquake remain highly vulnerable despite the assistance provided and face a range of serious protection problems including violence, exploitation and child protection risks. The sudden loss of livelihoods also increases the likelihood of survival strategies that can have long-term and harmful consequences such as child labour and early marriage. The findings of the recently completed Protection Sector Needs Assessment and Field Observation Tracking Tool for Protection Trend Analysis (conducted in April-June 2023) underlined the importance of continued prioritisation of the most vulnerable populations across the response and for specialized protection services. In the recovery phase, protection will remain key to addressing issues such as housing, land and property, conflict resolution and enabling people impacted by the earthquake to find a more sustainable solution.

In some areas, service functionality remains low, although markets are generally functioning. WASH remains a persistently reported top priority need in all sites, with only 56 per cent of sites profiled reporting availability of toilets, many issues of availability of accessibility of toilets and showers, lack of gender marking and separation, as well as lack of sufficient water and maintenance. Additionally, there are high reported needs for hygiene items, particularly for women and girls. Longer-term solutions are being implemented, but many people continue to reside in temporary settlements, given the significant scale of the challenge, as well as the importance of adopting complementary approaches to Government efforts. There is an urgent need to identify priority profiles, particularly people who face specific obstacles to accessing support, whether due to a lack of documentation, eligibility, language barriers, pre-existing vulnerabilities, or people most at risk of being left behind or facing exclusion.