Türkiye Earthquake 2023
2023-04 Factsheet - Türkiye Earthquake 2023
Highlights
On 6 February 2023, two devastating earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck Pazarcık and Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. The initial earthquake was followed by over 3,100 aftershocks, including a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Elbistan, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). Impacts have been felt across the 11 provinces in which a state of emergency has been declared (Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis, Hatay, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş, Şanlıurfa and Elazığ), with Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep provinces reportedly hardest hit. These earthquakes are the largest to hit Türkiye in the last century, and the most significant to strike the country’s south-east region in hundreds of years.
NFI
Shelter
Need analysis
The Government of Turkiye, with support from humanitarian partners, mostly in kind, have provided shelter and accommodation support to over 4 million people.
- 710K units are heavily damaged or destroyed (AFAD, 05/04/2023)
- More than 1,8M units are lightly damaged (AFAD, 05/04/2023)
- 2,6M people are currently living in tents, across the affected areas (MoI, 06/04/2023).
- At least close to 600K people (DTM 28/03/2023) settled in government managed sites, are still living in tents with poor living conditions and limited access to services
- An estimated 2M self-settled people are still living in informal sites or next to their damaged houses, sheltered in tents or makeshift shelters, with bare minimum living conditions and limited or no access to services
Response
Initial efforts from the Shelter Sector partners were focused on resourcing Government agencies with in-kind relief items. Shelter Sector partners are now gradually engaging in strategic programming.
- 56 partners have reported shelter activities
- 232K households, approximately 775K people, were reached with support for improved covered living spaces, including tents, Relief Housing Units (RHUs), toolkits and tarpaulins. Most of these in-kind items (95 %) were handed over to the Government of Türkiye.
- 1.27M households, approximately 4.25M people, were supported with basic household items assistance, including clothing, cooking items, thermal comfort items, safety and security items and sleeping items. Most of these in-kind items (81%) were handed over to the Government of Türkiye.
- The top three provinces where most households were reached directly by Shelter Sector partners:
- Hatay (59.5K HHs)
- Gaziantep (55.5K HHs)
- Kahramanmaras (48K HHs)
Gaps / challenges
Considering the government pathway (tent to container to house) and the scale of need, we anticipate delays and gaps in assistance to:
- Households waiting move to containers, potentially keeping families in tents for a longer period than planned
- Households that are self-settled waiting to access formal accommodation support
- Households that are self-settled and are unable or ineligible to access formal accommodation support
- Households that are self-settled in tents and choose to stay close to their damaged homes
Constraints:
- Households that are self-settled in informal sites or close to their damaged houses, particularly in rural contexts, who have no other option than to stay where they are until shelter/housing assistance available to them is clarified and accessible.
- Those falling outside the formal, government-supported population are a key issue of concern to the humanitarian community.
- Ongoing planning is being carried out strategically to monitor the needs of this vulnerable and homeless population, with the aim of providing them with necessary assistance.
- There is still little clarity on access, information and communication channels with authorities, on how to prioritise and deliver assistance to self-settled people in informal sites.
- This will require a shift from bulk assistance in kind to improved programming and informed and realistic targeting towards priorities.
