Turkish quake victims sleep in trains, tents, greenhouses

Feb 17, 2023, 8:47 AM | Updated: 4:32 pm

FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive aid supplies ...

FILE - People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

SAMANDAG, Turkey (AP) — Nearly two weeks after a massive earthquake leveled tens of thousands of buildings and displaced millions of people in Turkey and Syria, many are still struggling to fulfill their basic needs and some are bedding down in tents, factories, train cars and greenhouses.

People pushed from their homes in the disaster zone described a wide range of conditions: Some were able to find regular hot showers, while others feared freezing to death.

The Turkish government and dozens of aid groups have launched a massive relief effort. The government said Wednesday that more than 5,400 shipping containers have been deployed as shelters and over 200,000 tents dispatched.

But it’s facing a massive disaster. The government says at least 84,000 buildings, containing more than 332,000 dwellings, were either destroyed by the Feb. 6 quake or too damaged to be used. There is no official figure for the number of people displaced in Turkey’s side of the disaster region, which is home to some 14 million, or 16% of the country’s population.

In the mountain villages of Kahramanmaras province, locals battle to keep warm during the bitterly cold nights.

Buyuknacar, a village just a few kilometers (miles) from the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude quake, was severely damaged and 158 were killed. Two days after the initial tremor, a military helicopter brought supplies and on the fifth day the road was cleared.

Although the villagers have tents, they are too flimsy to keep out the cold. Villagers said they feared icy conditions in the mountains would lead to further deaths.

Umut Sitil, 45, said: “Our basic need is, first, containers. Tents won’t work here. … People in tents will freeze to death.”

On Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 2.2 million people had left the disaster zone. Of those, he said, the housing needs of 1.6 million had been fulfilled, including some 890,000 people placed in public facilities, such as student dormitories, and 50,000 in hotels.

The Transport Ministry said Wednesday that the government had helped more than 272,000 to evacuate by air, sea and rail. However, many people prefer to remain close to their homes, either to protect their possessions, wait for relatives’ bodies to be recovered or, in rural areas, care for their livestock.

Others seeking protection from winter temperatures have resorted to any structure that will keep out the elements.

Near the Mediterranean coast in Hatay, one of the hardest-hit provinces, farmers in Samandag district fled their damaged homes to large greenhouses normally used for growing tomatoes, bringing with them whatever bedding and cooking utensils they could salvage.

Locals said that around 2,000 people were now living under the plastic covers. Many had lost not just their homes but also their livestock.

“There’s no safe place apart from the greenhouses, because the houses collapsed due to the earthquake,” said Ozkan Sagaltici, in his 50s.

The villagers have set up wood stoves inside the greenhouses to cook the food handed out by aid agencies.

“We have no clean clothes,” said Suzan Sagaltici, who’s staying in a greenhouse on the other side of the village. “We can’t clean ourselves as we would like to, we can’t take a shower. It’s very difficult to live here. There’s no sink. We have nothing. It’s like living in the open air.”

Other displaced people have found relatively stable shelter. Elsewhere in Hatay, the Yuksel family found refuge in a metal factory, where they have been provided with necessities including clothing and household items.

Veysel Yuksel, his wife, Dilek Nur Yuksel, and their three children are living in a trailer at the factory near the port city of Iskenderun. The children play among heavy machinery as their parents prepare food.

“Our house has not been completely destroyed but seriously damaged,” said Yuksel. “All the buildings surrounding ours have been ruined.”

In the first days after the earthquake, around 1,600 people from the nearby town of Dortyol stayed at the factory, but half later left for other parts of Turkey.

The displaced residents can use a shared bathroom with hot water, a laundry and a small kitchen. They sleep in offices, shipping containers or trailers.

At Iskenderun’s rail station, families shelter in train carriages, according to the state-run Andalou Agency.

“Our house has become unusable, we can’t get into it,” said Nida Karahan, 50, whose family of five was living in a cream- and red-painted carriage. “The wagons have become our home.”

As well as providing warm shelter, people said they were being provided with three meals a day by the military.

Qatar is sending shelters used to house soccer fans during last year’s World Cup. Many other nations have also sent tents and containers.

In the provincial capital of Kahramanmaras, which has the same name as the province, residents also complained of difficulties finding a place to stay.

“I couldn’t find anything like a tent for the first three or four days,” said father-of-three Haci Kose. “I went around with my family in my car (but) couldn’t find a place to stay wherever I went. They said there are tents here and there (but) they’re making it up.”

He was eventually allocated a tent by an Azerbaijani aid agency, but said he still has problems getting enough to eat or finding a place to relieve himself.

“I wish we were stuck under the rubble too so we didn’t have to live in this situation,” Kose added. “The aid isn’t coming to the people in the tents.”

___

Gurel reported from Buyuknacar, Turkey, and Wilks from Istanbul.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              FILE -  An elderly woman stands next to greenhouses where she shelters with her relatives following the earthquake in Samandag, southern Turkey, on Feb. 16, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              FILE -  A man holds a blanket outside a train used as a shelter in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  A woman with a child stays inside a train, using as a shelter, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  A man walks between trains using as shelters, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, sit outside their tent at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  Women prepare a meal inside a greenhouse where they stay with their relatives following the earthquake in Samandag, southern Turkey, on Feb. 16, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              FILE -  A boy, left, helps his father washing his hands at a makeshift camp where they settle after they lost their house in a devastated earthquake, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  Local residents bring a mattress to a greenhouse where they shelter after the earthquake in Samandag, southern Turkey, on Feb. 16, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive food at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  Young girls sit and talk inside a greenhouse where they shelter with relatives following the earthquake in Samandag, southern Turkey, on Feb. 16, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, sit outside their tent at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories.. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  A Turkish man who lost his house in the devastating earthquake, carries wood at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023.. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive food at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
            
              FILE -  People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. Hundreds of thousands of people are seeking shelter after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southern Turkey left homes unlivable. Many survivors have been unable to find tents or containers dispatched to the region by the government and aid agencies, Instead they have sought refuge in any structure that can protect them from the winter conditions, including greenhouses, rail carriages and factories.  (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

AP

FILE - U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz listens during a news conference, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washi...

Associated Press

US Border Patrol chief is retiring after seeing through end of Title 42 immigration restrictions

The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced Tuesday that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions.

1 day ago

FILE - President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., on the House steps as...

Associated Press

House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

The House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.

1 day ago

Sean Bickings (Family Photo via city of Tempe)...

Associated Press

Family of man who drowned last year in Tempe Town Lake files wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a man who drowned in Tempe Town Lake a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city Wednesday, noting that its police department doesn't have a policy requiring officers to go into the water to save someone.

1 day ago

(Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS...

Associated Press

Florida police search for 3 gunmen who wounded 9 at crowded beach on Memorial Day

Police are responding to a shooting near the beach broadwalk in Hollywood, Florida.

3 days ago

Crew members assemble the main stage ahead of the 2023 Scripps Nations Spelling Bee on Sunday, May ...

Associated Press

Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion

As the final pre-competition meeting of the Scripps National Spelling Bee's word selection panel stretches into its seventh hour, the pronouncers no longer seem to care.

3 days ago

FILE - Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt, wipes a tear from her face during a news conference o...

Associated Press

Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’

The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys for Petito's parents.

6 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

How to identify the symptoms of 3 common anxiety disorders

Living with an anxiety disorder can be debilitating and cause significant stress for those who suffer from the condition.

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...

Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Turkish quake victims sleep in trains, tents, greenhouses