Türkiye: 2023 Earthquakes Situation Report No. 12, as of 30 March 2023 [EN/TR] – Türkiye

March 30, 2023 admin-dominor

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 23 to 30 March 2023.

On 24 March, during his visit to Kahramanmaraş, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the earthquakes damaged nearly 307 thousand buildings and 893 thousand independent units throughout the region, killing more than 50,000 people.
Around 60 thousand Syrians in Türkiye have returned to their home country across the border since the earthquakes on 6 February, said the Turkish National Defense Minister.
Urgent support is needed to prevent a slide into poverty and an increase in child labour and low-wage jobs with no financial security or stability, following the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in February, warned the International Labour Organization (ILO) in a new assessment report.
The ILO estimates a 16.0% loss in working hours in the affected areas. The reduction in activity is comparable to the hours of work done by 657 thousand full-time equivalent workers.
An estimated 1.6 million people live in informal settlements, with bare minimum living conditions and limited or no access to services. Despite receiving some humanitarian support, these families still need improved shelters, water and sanitation services, and basic household items.
Drinking water emerges as one of the main needs due to disruptions to water networks. These disruptions not only create challenges for accessing safe and clean water, but also pose a significant risk to food safety, agriculture, and livestock breeding. Access to essential services, disease control, and water and sanitation services continue to be among the priority needs, particularly in informal settlements.
The Ministry of National Education has resumed education in all ten provinces affected by the earthquakes. However, education in the four most severely impacted provinces has gradually resumed in specific districts.
To date, UN agencies and humanitarian partners have reached nearly 711 thousand people with support for improved living spaces, including tents, Relief Housing Units (RHUs), toolkits and tarpaulins. More than 4.1 million people have been provided with basic household items, including clothing, cooking items, thermal comfort items, safety and security items and sleeping items. Almost 3 million people have been reached with emergency food assistance.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has been supported with 4,6 million vaccine doses, 26 metric tons of reproductive health medicines, 23 tons of trauma and medical supplies and 16 mobile clinics.
1.6 million people received water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance. More than 901 thousand liters of potable water and more than 1.7 million liters of water for sanitation purposes have been delivered. Additionally, nearly 297 thousand hygiene kits and more than 28 thousand dignity kits have been provided.
According to UN agencies and partners working in protection, due to limited gender-sensitive programmes, specific needs of women and girls are not met. This inadequacy exacerbates the risk of violence against women, girls and other individuals in situations of vulnerability.
The UN launched a Flash Appeal for US$1 billion to assist 5.2 million people affected by the earthquakes. As of 30 March, it is only 25.8% funded with $259.6M.

9.1M people directly affected

3M people displaced

2.97M people reached with emergency food assistance

1.6M people received WASH assistance

711K people provided with support for improved living spaces

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that the earthquakes in Türkiye have resulted in the displacement of about 3 million people. The latest data from the Temporary Settlement Support sector reveals that over 2.4 million people are currently living in temporary settlements. Out of this figure, approximately 1.6 million are residing in informal settlements, while almost 792,000 are in formal sites. The most severely affected areas include Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, and Malatya, which are currently hosting 92% of the population living in temporary settlements. Hatay has the highest number of people living in both formal sites and informal settlements.

As of 27 March, schools in several districts of Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Hatay, and Malatya provinces in the earthquake zone have started re-opening. However, school-aged children living in formal and informal settlements as well as those in rural areas, continue to have limited access to education, particularly in districts where schools have not reopened. The 2022-2023 school year will end on 16 June, without any extension. However, summer programs will be conducted to compensate for the learning loss caused by school closures. The earthquakes have impacted the lives of 4 million school-aged children, including 350,000 refugee and migrant children, who have been particularly affected by the traumatic experience.

The Government of Türkiye, with mostly in-kind support from humanitarian partners, has provided shelter and accommodation support to over 4 million people; however, in the earthquake-affected areas, at least 590 thousand people in government-managed sites (tent cities) are still living in tents with poor living conditions and limited access to services. Although these communities received humanitarian support, they continue to require assistance with basic household items. Additionally, nearly 1.6 million people living in informal sites continue to reside in bare minimum living conditions with limited or no access to services. Despite some relief support, these families require improved shelters, basic household items assistance, and better access to water and sanitation services.

Although shelter, hygiene, sanitation, food, clothing, and other basic household items remain a top priority, certain emerging needs such as safe spaces for women and children, birth control and contraception, and access to health and services, and drinking water are becoming increasingly crucial. Particularly, UN agencies and partners have raised concerns that the current programming is insufficient in meeting the specific needs of women and girls, including adolescents, elderly, single women, women-headed households, and women with disabilities. This inadequacy increases the risk of violence against women, girls, and other individuals in situations of vulnerability. Negative coping strategies, such as transactional sex and child/forced marriages, have also been identified by partners. Additionally, protection sector members have conducted focus group discussions and found that there is a critical need for safe women-friendly places to provide psychosocial support.

The response to the earthquakes in Türkiye continues to be led by the Government of Türkiye, in coordination with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and with support from the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC).
Meanwhile, 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 in Türkiye, delivering vital relief items such as food, medical supplies, shelter, winter supplies, hygiene and dignity kits, and WASH assistance, among other essential needs.