Türkiye is marking the first anniversary of the deadly magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes that hit just nine hours apart on Feb. 6, 2023. Centered in the Pazarcık district of southern Kahramanmaraş, the first tremor struck at 4.17 a.m. local time (1:17 a.m. GMT) at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles).
Described as the "disaster of the century" that directly affected 14 million citizens, killed 53,537 and injured 107,213, Türkiye declared a Level 4 alert, including international aid, and national mourning was declared throughout the country for seven days.
The twin tremors hit 11 provinces, including Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep, Kilis, Adana, Malatya and Elazığ, 124 districts, and 6,929 villages and neighborhoods, covering an area of 120,000 square kilometers (over 46,000 square miles).
At least 66 aftershocks jolted the southeast and the surrounding region following the deadly magnitude 7.7 earthquake, according to the country's Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The earthquake leveled buildings while many were still asleep and sent tremors that were felt as far away as Cyprus and Egypt.
Neighboring provinces, including fire departments and search and rescue teams from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the surrounding district municipalities, hastened to the earthquake zone in a show of solidarity. Search and rescue teams gathered at Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport, initiating their expeditious deployment to earthquake-affected areas via scheduled flights.
Nearly 93 countries participated in the search and rescue work in the region and sent a remarkable contribution of aid to the affected areas. The support included a total of 294,743 tents and 12,685 containers, reflecting the global commitment to providing essential resources for those affected by the earthquakes.
The search was carried out in 38,901 buildings destroyed in the earthquakes, and search and rescue operations were carried out in 26,000 buildings that were determined to be inhabited.
A total of 650,000 personnel, including 11,488 international personnel, 35,250 search and rescue personnel, and 142,000 security personnel, worked in the region within the scope of intervention efforts.
Some 645,000 tents were set up in 350 communities in the region, and 215,224 containers were set up in 414 container cities.
Within the scope of the temporary shelter service, a total of TL 14.45 billion ($470 million) in "rental support payments" have been made to 349,000 households so far. In this context, rent support payments of TL 7,500 to homeowners and TL 5,000 to tenants continue.
Together with other aid and payments, a total of TL 106.73 billion was transferred to the earthquake region.
Damage assessment was made in 2.3 million buildings and 6.23 million independent sections in the earthquake zone, and 91% of the debris removal process has been carried out so far.
Within the scope of entitlement studies, a total of 441,567 entitlements were determined, including 389,000 residences, 40,658 workplaces and 11,531 barns.
Within the scope of efforts to heal the wounds of earthquake-affected citizens, the construction of 307,000 houses has started in city centers and villages in the earthquake region.
In on-site transformation projects, TL 750,000 in grants for houses, TL 1 million in loans for village houses with barns and TL 400,000 in loans for workplaces are being issued with two-year grace periods and 10 years interest-free.
