Six days will mark a month since the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey that killed nearly 52,000 people.
In Turkey, 200,000 buildings have been severely damaged, and many people continue to live in tents as evacuees.
A 7.8-magnitude quake struck southern Turkey on the 6th of last month and the subsequent quake killed 45,968 people in Turkey and 5,914 in neighboring Syria, for a total of 51,882 deaths.
According to the Turkish government, 200,000 buildings have suffered major damage such as collapse in the country, and 14 million people, equivalent to 16% of the population, have been affected by the loss of their homes.
It is said that 1.44 million people are forced to live in tents as refugees, and because the damage is widespread, there are voices that the disaster area has not received the necessary support for life, such as water and food. going up
In Kahramanmaras in the south, where the damage was even more severe, there are still people who continue to evacuate in tents with no electricity or running water, just laying mats on the ground. "There is no place to sleep, no food, no drinking water, no toilets, and I don't think the government knows that people are taking refuge here," he said.
The NDP (United Nations Development Program) estimates that 100 to 200 million tons of debris was generated in Turkey alone, and removing a large amount of debris is also a major issue.
On the other hand, in Syria, although the northwestern part of Syria, which is dominated by rebels who have opposed the Assad regime in the civil war, has suffered great damage, it has been pointed out that the relief supplies sent from each country to the capital Damascus have not sufficiently reached the northwestern part. and the difficult situation continues.
Even one month after the earthquake, the disaster area is still in chaos, and continuous support is required.
In the affected areas of southern Turkey, many people are leaving the land they are accustomed to, such as losing their homes and jobs.
Of these, Kahramanmaras in the south, which suffered extensive damage due to its proximity to the epicenter, has raised concerns about a population outflow.
What are the concerns of the “hero” Marash?
Kahramanmaras, a city in southern Turkey, was one of the most severely damaged areas by the earthquake.
It is one of the places where the war of liberation against Allied rule began after World War I. The current name of the place is a combination of the original name of Marash and the word 'Kahraman' which means 'hero'.
Before the earthquake, about 600,000 people lived in the city, and the agriculture and textile industries were thriving.
On the 3rd of this month, one month after the earthquake, a Muslim Friday mass prayer was held.
Many mosques in the city were also closed to the public due to the damage from the earthquake, so prayers were held outside with carpets.
When I spoke to the people who gathered, the number of people who came to worship was only 30% of what it was before the earthquake, and many of them expressed their concerns about the outflow of the population.
Of these, an elderly man said, "I think some people will return from their evacuation sites, but I don't think half of them will return. Before the earthquake, it was a city full of fun, but now it's a ghost town. I want it to be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Another man said, ``I tried to persuade people who were trying to leave the city to stop, but many people are afraid that the same disaster will happen again. I have overcome many wars and difficulties, and that is why I am called 'Hero Marash'. I want to return to normal life as soon as possible."
In the city, many people were seen taking out their belongings from the damaged apartments of their homes, and some even moved to a town 400 kilometers away.
Impact on economic reconstruction
Concerns about population outflow are also casting a large shadow over economic reconstruction.
The region's largest textile company based in Kahramanmaras supplies fabrics to global furniture makers and fashion brands, but the earthquake destroyed the factory or required demolition.
Production of fabric for evacuation tents has resumed at a relatively new factory that suffered little damage, but production volume remains at about 40% of what it was before.
Furthermore, securing employees has become an issue in restructuring the business.
Before the earthquake, there were 10,000 employees, but now about half are evacuated outside the city, and some have told the company that they will not return to Kahramanmaras.
Harit Gyumsche, general manager of the textile company, said, "We are trying to rebuild the business, but the biggest challenge is securing factory workers. It is difficult to predict, but the rebuilding will take a year. I think it will take more than that," he said.
Young people who decide to rebuild
In Kahramanmaras, as concerns about a population exodus grew, some young people decided to contribute to the reconstruction of their hometown in the future, partly because they had lost a dear friend.
My name is Hussein Asek (17) and I live in Kahramanmaras.
The earthquake destroyed the walls of his apartment and made it impossible to live in. In addition, the shop his parents ran was severely damaged, and the family lost their income.
In addition, Mr. Asek lost his childhood best friend Mr. Ismail in this earthquake.
Mr. Ismail, who was studying at a foreign university, had returned to his hometown of Kahramanmaras on vacation.
However, on February 6, when Mr. Ismail was planning to leave Kahramanmaras, a big earthquake struck and Mr. Ismail passed away.
On Asek's smartphone was a photo of Ismail's smiling face from the last time they met.
"At first I couldn't believe it, and when I heard from his mother, I was really at a loss for words," Asek said. I'm not there," he said, holding back tears.
After the earthquake that took away his dear friend, Mr. Asek decided to do something.
In the future, he will become an architect and contribute to the reconstruction of Kahramanmaras.
In preparation for his university entrance exams, Asek started attending his resumed cram school.
Although there was no major damage to the building of the cram school, classes were resumed with desks and chairs set up outside in a tent in consideration of safety.
When I asked Mr. Asek why he had to go back to cram school before the emotional wounds healed, he said, "I can't live in my house anymore, my family lost their job, and I lost everything. It's a hope for the future," he said.
In this earthquake, it has been pointed out that illegal buildings and renovations that do not comply with seismic standards have exacerbated the damage. .
"The earthquake destroyed much of the city. I believe that only children like us who love this city can develop it," said Asek, a "hero." As one of the Kahramans, he spoke of his determination to rebuild his hometown.
Severe situation such as the impact on the transportation of relief supplies in Syria where the civil war continues
In Syria, where civil war has continued for more than 10 years, even one month after the occurrence of a major earthquake, the conflict between the Assad regime and the rebel forces that control the northwestern part of the disaster area has affected the transportation of relief supplies. It's going to be a tough situation, such as going out.
At least 5,900 people have been killed and more than 10,000 injured in Syria, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health and OCHA, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In addition, according to OCHA and other sources, more than 105,000 households have been evacuated across Syria, and approximately 1.3 million people have received emergency food assistance.
Of these, the northwestern region, where the damage was most severe, is under the control of anti-government forces opposing the Assad regime, and the number of humanitarian assistance routes has increased from one before the earthquake to three, but expansion of assistance remains an issue. It is
On the other hand, relief supplies from various countries, including Japan, have arrived in the capital Damascus, but it is said that the transportation of supplies from the Assad regime has not sufficiently reached the affected areas in the northwest due to the conflict in the civil war. pointed out.
More than 1,600 schools were damaged by the quake, of which about 400 are yet to reopen, according to UNICEF's Syria office.
In addition to providing psychological care for the affected children, UNICEF believes that securing educational opportunities is a long-term issue, as many children were unable to attend school due to the effects of the civil war.
Mio Nemoto, deputy director of the UNICEF Syria office, said, "I want you to remember the children of Syria who have overcome many crises. It is important to create an environment where they can play and learn like children as soon as possible. It's our number one priority," he said, appealing for continued support.
Damage in Syria Estimated $5.1 billion About 10% of GDP World Bank
The World Bank has announced that the physical damage to neighboring Syria from the massive earthquake in southern Turkey is estimated at $5.1 billion, or about 690 billion yen in Japanese yen.
This is about 10% of Syria's GDP = Gross Domestic Product.
The breakdown of the damage amount shows that the damage amounted to 2.5 billion dollars, accounting for almost half of the damage, 1.7 billion dollars for non-residential facilities such as medical institutions and schools, and 900 million dollars for infrastructure such as transportation, electricity, and water supply. increase.
By region, Aleppo in the north accounts for 45% of the total damage, and Idlib in the northwest accounts for 37%.
The World Bank said a detailed study was needed on the impact on business activities and the costs of building temporary housing, saying, "The damage is a reflection of the destruction, suffering and hardships that the Syrian people have endured over the years. It goes even deeper," he commented.
The World Bank estimated the physical damage to Turkey at $34.2 billion last month, but both Turkey and Syria could be much more if the costs of recovery and reconstruction are included. .