Türkiye: 2023 Earthquakes Situation Report No. 13, As of 6 April 2023 [EN/TR] – Türkiye

April 6, 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 30 March to 6 April 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

Türkiye added six more provinces to the earthquake disaster zone as they suffered damage in the 6 February earthquakes, announced the nation’s disaster agency. The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) has added settlements in the provinces of Bingöl, Kayseri, Mardin, Tunceli, Niğde, and Batman to the qualifying zone for governmental aid, as damaged buildings were identified in these areas, according to a statement issued by AFAD.
On 5 April, Türkiye’s Ministry of Interior announced that they have established 345 tent cities and 305 container cities in the earthquake-affected region, adding that 2.6 million people are living in tent cities, while nearly 79 thousand people are living in container cities. Additionally, the Ministry reported that over 1.6 million people have received a support payment of 10,000 Turkish Liras ($519).
AFAD says there has been a notable decline in the number of individuals hosted in other provinces, as many are now returning to their provinces in the earthquake-affected region.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has reported on 5 April that the death toll from the devastating earthquakes has risen to 50,339. The death toll is updated at long intervals due to the fact that identification of bodies takes time, Soylu said.
According to Temporary Settlement Sector data, an estimated 1.6 million people continue to live in informal sites or alongside their damaged homes, sheltering in tents or makeshift shelters, with poor living conditions and limited or no access to resources and essential services, leaving them with minimal capacity for self-recovery. Humanitarian
actors prioritize and focus on reaching and assisting these vulnerable communities due to limited funding and
operational capacity to respond at scale.
Access to crucial information regarding services, including healthcare, shelter repairs, eligibility for relocation to
containers or formal sites, resumption of schools, and access to education in specific districts, is a critical need in earthquake-affected regions. This highlights the significance of effective information dissemination to people affected by the earthquakes, particularly people with disabilities, women, and people residing in remote areas and villages, who may encounter challenges in accessing information.
Improved healthcare services are needed in the earthquake-affected region, particularly for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
Another key concern is the high level of air pollution caused by debris removal activities. Public messages on debris removal and asbestos are now available in both Turkish and Arabic on the Early Recovery sector web page on Relief-web.
Supporting economic recovery is an essential priority in the region to prevent the loss of workforce, stimulate economic activity, revive supply chains and generate income.
UN agencies and humanitarian partners continue to complement the Government-led response to provide prompt relief to the population impacted by the disaster.
To date, UN agencies and partners have reached nearly 770 thousand people with support for improved living spaces, including tents, Relief Housing Units (RHUs), toolkits and tarpaulins. An estimated 4.2 million people have been provided with basic household items, including clothing, cooking items, thermal comfort items, safety and security items and sleeping items.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has been supported with 4,7 million vaccine doses and 16 mobile clinics.
2 million people received water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance. More than 1.1 million liters of potable
water and more than 1.7 million liters of water for sanitation purposes have been delivered.
15 organizations provided first line food assistance through hot meals and soup kitchens, reaching
approximately 2.3 million people daily.
13 partner organizations delivered USD$ 1.7 million in cash and voucher assistance to 9234 beneficiaries.
The UN launched a Flash Appeal for US$1 billion to assist 5.2 million people affected by the earthquakes. As of 6
April, it is only 28% funded with $283.7M.

9.1M
people directly affected
4M
school-aged children affected
2.3M
people reached daily with cooked meals
2M
people received WASH assistance
770K
people reached with support for improved living spaces

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Six more provinces are added to the earthquake disaster zone, announced AFAD on Monday, 3 April. In a statement, the disaster agency said areas, where damaged buildings were identified in the provinces of Bingöl, Kayseri, Mardin, Tunceli, Niğde and Batman, were also added to the zone, qualifying them to receive certain types of governmental aid. Damage assessment in these provinces revealed that some buildings had suffered slight, moderate, or heavy damage.
The Government of Türkiye continues to take the lead in responding to the earthquakes, in coordination with AFAD and with support from the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC). The international humanitarian community is complementing the efforts of the Government in providing prompt relief to the population impacted by the disaster.

Türkiye’s Ministry of Interior announced that they have established 345 tent cities and 305 container cities in the earthquake-affected region, adding that 2.6 million people are living in tent cities, while nearly 79 thousand people are living in container cities. Additionally, the Ministry reported that over 1.6 million people have received a support payment of 10,000 Turkish Liras ($519).

Temporary Settlement Sector partners identified that the majority of the people living in temporary settlements in the earthquake-affected area, an estimated 1.6 million people, are living in informal settlements, in inadequate conditions and with limited access to essential services. These populations are currently mostly living tents and in makeshift shelters, with high needs and lack of necessary resources. Given the funding constraints and limited operational capacity to provide aid at scale, humanitarian partners are prioritizing reaching out to these most vulnerable populations with much-needed assistance to complement the government-led response.

The need for shelter, water, health, sanitation, and hygiene services remains high. The health sector raised concerns about the limited disinfection procedures for water canals and a reported rise in cases of scabies, lice, vomiting, diarrhea, and pneumonia in some areas across the earthquake-affected region. Additionally, protection of the most at-risk groups, including children, women, adolescents, elderly people, and people with disabilities, requires further attention and additional capacities.

This week, during a virtual information-sharing meeting organized by the Women Empowerment in Humanitarian Action Working Group (WEHA), representatives from 60 women-led organizations and civil society organizations working on gender equality and women’s empowerment in various provinces increased their knowledge of the Türkiye Earthquake Coordination Structure. This event served to support the UN’s localization efforts and its commitment to gender equality, as well as its responsibility to affected communities.

As of early April 2023, 13 organizations submitted information regarding their ongoing/planned cash-based intervention (CBI) activities. Accordingly, USD$ 1.7 million has been delivered to 9234 beneficiaries through cash and voucher assistance. The TRC-IFRC-WFP joint cash response for the earthquake is expected to start this week. This initiative represents the most extensive humanitarian cash transfer programme to date in response to the earthquake.