Donations of containers from institutions, organizations and companies continue to help solve the housing problem in Türkiye’s southeast region devastated by the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, described as "the disaster of the century."
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change has installed 1,522 containers in Gaziantep so far, with plans to exceed 15,000.
In addition, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) will build a container city on a 180,000-square-meter (1.93 million-square-foot) area in the garden of Inönü University Technopark in Malatya, with 1,200 containers to accommodate earthquake victims.
Turkish drone magnate Baykar said it will donate permanent shelters for those affected by the massive earthquakes, which left over 30,000 dead and thousands of others injured while forcing many to abandon their homes.
Selçuk Bayraktar, the chief technology officer (CTO) of Baykar, has announced that in collaboration with the AFAD, his company will donate 1,000 homes to provide permanent shelter for those in need.
This donation is part of Baykar's housing mobilization initiative and takes the company's total aid to a staggering TL 1.8 billion ($95.5 million), he wrote on Twitter.
The company is also launching the Baykar Container City, which will provide a safe and comfortable home for 2,000 people in the region, as part of efforts to further support the critical need for shelter amid freezing temperatures, he added.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) government has signed a protocol with the Turkish Cypriot Solidarity Platform to build a village of 1,000 container houses for earthquake victims in Türkiye.
Similarly, the Independent Industrialists and Businesspersons Association (MÜSIAD) has also announced plans to establish a furnished container city with 1,000 container houses in the Elbistan region of Kahramanmaraş under the coordination of the AFAD.
The AHBAP Association, a voluntary network founded by Turkish rock star Haluk Levent, has begun installation work on nearly 3,000 containers, with the first purchases already made.
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) has sent 405 containers and tents to the affected region, according to the organization.
Meanwhile, the Limak Group of Companies has started constructing a container city in Hatay that can accommodate up to 4,000 people at two designated locations in coordination with relevant institutions.
The Ankara Chamber of Industry will provide services such as electricity, water and internet to a 300-container living center.
Additionally, Allianz insurance and Arabica Coffee House have announced plans to provide container support by purchasing containers to support the resettlement.
Bunk beds, regular beds and toilets are available in the 50 containers sent to the earthquake-affected region by the World Nomad Games Committee. The containers were previously used in the 4th World Nomad Games held in the Iznik district of Bursa in September 2022 and were sent to the region with the support of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality and Iznik Municipality.
Custom-made containers for up to 200 people equipped with a kitchen, bathroom and toilet for the disaster area were also loaded onto trucks from Iznik.
In addition, nine container houses filled with food were sent to earthquake victims in Hatay from the Merzifon district of Amasya. Meanwhile, local companies specializing in container production have been focused on supporting earthquake relief efforts.
The shelter campaign started by the Galatasaray Club continues, with a goal of providing 500 containers.
Insay Yapı has announced that it will provide 25 containers, while Istanbul Commodity Exchange (ITO) will provide 100 containers, and the Izmir Chamber of Commerce (IZTO) will provide 200 containers for the relief effort.
Meanwhile, students and teachers at the Izmir Ödemiş Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School have prepared a container house project for those who lost their homes because of the earthquake. The container house they produced can accommodate a family of three to four people. If material support is provided, the containers could go into serial production as an example of low-cost and sustainable housing for earthquake victims.
While Kalyon Holding started the "Kalyon Container City" installation for 3,000 people in Gaziantep’s Islahiye, Karabük Iron and Steel Factories (KARDEMİR) sent 10 containers to the earthquake zone.
With the coordination of the Kastamonu Governor's Office, six mobile toilet-shower facilities, one mobile toilet and eight workplace containers were sent to the earthquake zone to Hatay, while six mobile toilet-showers, four living containers and five toilet containers were sent to Adıyaman.
Qatar’s container drive
Khalifa Jassim al-Kuwari, director of the Qatar Development Fund, stated that they started the shipment of 10,000 container houses for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria, upon the instruction of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
While 69 containers were sent from Konya to the earthquake region, Konyaspor also shipped 100 containers to the region.
Manisa Soma tradespeople and Soma Technical and Industrial Vocational High School teachers and students started the production of container houses, tent-friendly stoves and portable toilets for earthquake victims.
The Ordu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OTSO) has announced plans to build 52 container houses in Adıyaman. In addition, the Governorship of Samsun has announced that 46 prefabricated containers from the Terme District will be sent to the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş, one of the worst-hit areas.
Meanwhile, marble makers in Muğla have filled 18 ready-to-use containers with supplies, heaters, stoves and clothes, and shipped them to the earthquake zone.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has announced its plan to support earthquake victims with 1,000 containers, while Toyota has pledged to distribute nearly 500 containers through the AHBAP.
The Union of Payment and Electronic Money Institutions of Türkiye (TODEB) launched a donation campaign to establish a "container city" to provide shelter to earthquake victims.
Two container houses were sent to the earthquake zone through the donations of volunteer citizens in Muğla Dalaman. Dalaman Municipality and Dalaman District Governorate also sent four containers to the region.
In a statement on the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), Güler Investment Holding announced that it has ordered 25 containers for RTA Laboratories Biological Products Pharmaceuticals and Machinery Industry Trade Inc.
Turkish conglomerate Karadeniz Holding, one of the world's largest operators of floating power plants announced it will send two floating living cities to Hatay’s Iskenderun, which can accommodate up to 3,000 people.