The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) stated Tuesday that the installation of 356,419 tents and 8,530 containers has been completed in order to meet the accommodation needs of citizens that were affected by the earthquakes that occurred on Feb. 6, which affected more than 13.5 million people in 11 provinces in Türkiye's southeast.
In order to address the shelter needs following the "disaster of the century," tent city sites have already been established at 332 locations in 11 provinces, according to a message shared on AFAD's social media account.
AFAD has shared that among the provinces affected, the highest number of tents were erected in Hatay with 97,212. Kahramanmaraş had 77,188, Gaziantep, 49,795 while 49,353 tents were set up in Adıyaman, 36,907 in Malatya, 17,515 in Adana and 8,990 in Şanlıurfa. Some 7,377 tents were established in Osmaniye, 7,458 in Diyarbakır and 4,624 in Kilis.
Additionally, it was noted that a total of 103,684 containers were planned to be installed in 162 different areas in the provinces affected by the earthquake. As part of the planning, the installation of 8,530 containers has been completed so far.
For the purpose of production of additional containers the Ministry of Industry and Technology stated Tuesday that it has formed a "crisis center" to keep the corridor between the earthquake zone and organized industrial zones (OSB) open. The ministry also stated that Türkiye's largest manufacturers have switched to a three-shift work module system in order to accelerate production and ensure that more containers reach the southeastern region within a short period of time.
The number of people sheltering in tents, containers, dormitories of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, hotels, public guesthouses, facilities of the National Education Ministry and other facilities in and outside the disaster area stands at close to 1.92 million, as per AFAD.
Three weeks after the disaster, the evacuations from the quake-hit areas continue under the coordination of AFAD.
In this context, the total number of people who were evacuated by the Gendarmerie General Command and moved by their own means was registered as 1.97 million.
It was also stated that a total of 13,999 sorties were made by 78 aircraft and 116 helicopters belonging to the Air Forces Command, the Land Forces Command, the Naval Forces Command, the Coast Guard Command, the General Directorate of Security, the Gendarmerie General Command and the General Directorate of Forestry.
The statement also noted that 370 mobile kitchens, 86 catering vehicles and 47 mobile ovens were sent and appointed to the region in coordination with the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), AFAD, Ministry of National Defense, Gendarmerie General Command and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Described as the worst disaster in Türkiye’s modern history, the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes left 45,089 people dead according to the latest official data.