MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

 Hatay – On February 6, 2023, two deadly earthquakes that struck Turkey, Kurdistan and Syria, caused extensive damage in many cities. Although a month has passed since the earthquakes, earthquake survivors in Antakya, the capital of Hatay Province, still cannot access their basic needs, such as clean water, toilets, tents and hygiene products. This situation causes many people to leave their cities for other cities. “People still suffer here,” say the earthquake survivors in Antakya.

 ‘I have no tent’

Sevgi Kırat is an earthquake survivor in Antakya. Although a month has passed, she has received no tent to take shelter. Some volunteers helped her to build a space to take shelter. “I spent three days without eating and drinking anything. We received no aid. Inside the tents are very cold. We need containers to protect our children from cold weather. We suffer here, the only people helping us are the volunteers. We try to hold on to life with their solidarity. I asked for a tent; however, I was not given a tent although I have two children. The volunteers gave us this tent, she told us.

 They receive no tent

 “Although 28 days have passed, we have no tent,” said Meryem Mutlu Sayın, one of the earthquake survivors.

 “A container city was built two week ago. Although we have applied to the official authorities in order to stay in the container city, we are always told, ‘Come tomorrow’. Some families have settled in the container city; however, we have not received any response to our applications yet,” Meryem Mutlu Sayın told NuJINHA.

 We do not find clean water’

Stating that they do not know anything about the trucks carrying humanitarian aid, Meryem Mutlu Sayın said, “We do not know where these trucks go but we know that we receive no aid. We cannot find clean water or toilets. We do not have any place to take shelter but we are lucky now because it does not rain. We have serious problems in finding shelter and clean water. The earthquake survivors are left alone here.”