A year after the devastating earthquake in Turkey, survivors in Hatay province continue to struggle in their efforts to rebuild their lives. Abdullah Yanar, who lost several relatives and had his apartment damaged in the 7.8-magnitude quake, now lives with his family in a container home. Despite some progress in rebuilding, Yanar believes it will take a long time to restore the provincial capital of Antakya. With rising rents and unreliable utilities, he remains uncertain about his family’s future.
In the same province, Ali Riza and Sunay Gazaloglu, who lost their home and two of their daughters in the earthquake, now reside in a container home with their nine-year-old daughter, Ela. Ela, traumatized by the experience, is afraid of entering buildings and cannot attend school. The family relies on financial assistance from the Turkish Red Crescent to cover their daily expenses.
President Tayyip Erdogan’s government had promised to rebuild 680,000 homes across 11 provinces, including 250,000 in Hatay. However, many of the destroyed buildings in the province are yet to be demolished, and a significant number of residents still live in container homes or prefabricated houses. Gulcan Yilmaz, who miraculously survived being trapped under rubble for five days, lost her legs due to gangrene and now lives in a prefab home. Yilmaz dreams of living in one of the new apartments being constructed by the government.
Despite freezing temperatures, some survivors continue to live in tents, unable to afford high rents or fearful of the durability of apartments. Ozden Kar and her family reside in tents outside the municipal government building in Samandag, as their children’s school and her husband’s job are in the area. They have been referred to a container city, but prefer to stay in Samandag. Economic strains are also evident in Antakya, where a third of the residents and tourists have vanished, impacting local businesses.
The road to recovery for the survivors and affected communities is expected to be long and challenging. While there are hopes for improvement in the coming months, the lingering effects of the earthquake continue to haunt those who experienced its devastating impact.
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