Türkiye's prompt response to the "disaster of the century" was featured on the agenda of the United Nations' International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), with INSARAG's secretariat and U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams expressing their approval of the recovery efforts.
The evaluation report sent by INSARAG included said: "The Government of Türkiye reacted quickly after the first earthquake and made an urgent declaration of Level 4, which transpires as a national disaster requiring international assistance. Long-term cooperation between the National Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and UNDAC/INSARAG made a collaborative response possible. AFAD coordinators in Ankara were on the phone with us an hour after the disaster. Our significant partnership with the AFAD allowed the rapid mobilization of international search and rescue assistance, which is critical in life-saving operations."
Meanwhile, houses destroyed or severely damaged are being rebuilt under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. Currently, new houses in seven villages of Gaziantep's Nurdağı district are nearing completion. The new houses will measure 122 square meters (over 1,300 square feet) in terms of size and have verandas in accordance with the local architecture. Mosques and community infrastructure are also being established in the recovering neighborhoods.
A video shared by Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum touched hearts when a disaster survivor said, "While we lost our senses, our state came to help us recover."
