A severe earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale on February 6, 2023 shook not only Turkey and Syria, but the entire global community as well. The results of the earthquake were inconceivably devasting: despite comprehensive aid efforts which were made more difficult by the destroyed access roads, the number of victims rose quickly day after day. The rescue work lasted for several months; more than 59,000 fatalities were counted by April 22, 2023, with more than 50,700 in Turkey and over 8,400 in Syria – and the actual number of fatalities could be even higher. Over one hundred thousand additional people were injured. At least 520,000 families lost their homes. In the area of the earthquake and the surrounding areas, countless houses as well as the existing infrastructure were destroyed, resulting in the collapse of the water and energy supply. The World Health Organization has estimated that a total of 23 million people in the region have been directly affected by the earthquake and its aftermath. People from around the world and, of course, also in Germany, were forced to fear for and mourn their relatives and friends in Turkey and Syria.
The earthquake has made it painfully visible that natural disasters and their aftermath especially and disproportionately affect those who are already particularly vulnerable. On the one hand, the earthquake region is home to a large Kurdish population that continues to be subject to discrimination and repression in Turkey. On the other hand, a large number of Syrians live here who have fled from the war in Syria and whom are already faced with especially large economic and social challenges.. The reception facilities in the southeast of Turkey in which thousands of Syrians were housed until the earthquake were in part repurposed to house and care for victims of the earthquake. Syrians ended up at the bottom of the priority list for the emergency accommodation of affected parties, just as they did for access to supply services and relief supplies. One year after the earthquake, where the reconstruction has only progressed in fits and starts, many Syrians in Turkey continue to live without permanent, humane housing. The critical attitude in many parts of Turkey against Syrians seeking refuge, which had already sharpened during the election campaign, has also weakened their chances on the housing and labor markets. In light of this, it is not surprising that the number of Syrian seeking refuge that have irregularly entered the EU from Turkey and whom have applied for asylum rose considerably in 2023.
The situation has also seriously intensified in northwestern Syria where, according to information from international organizations, more than 4 million people were already dependent upon humanitarian aid. Great international and diplomatic efforts were necessary in order to bring humanitarian aid into the affected area and to improve the humanitarian situation there and some sanctions were even lifted for a time – such as those in conjunction with financial transactions.
Alongside grief and shock, anger and sharp criticism against the Turkish government soon grew loud, who should have been able to predict the earthquake due to years of warning and should have been able to better protect the population. The earthquake came only a few months before the Turkish parliamentary elections in May 2023 and it was thus a special objective of the government to project control instead of taking responsibility and learning for the future. The situation in the earthquake region remains desolate still today – housing shortages, inflation, a continued poor supply situation, not to mentioned untreated trauma in light of the inconceivable human loss and suffering – yet we hear nothing more about it in the media as it is in the interest of the current government to maintain silence about the problems in order not to worsen their chances in next regional elections which are already coming in 2024. If, however, the continued needs are not made transparent, then the corresponding aid will not be mobilized – this can be noticed, amongst others, by the fact that the EU has reduced its financial contributions for the support of those seeking refuge and the communities that provide it in Turkey for the coming years – many whom have been affected continue to be left to their own devices.
This means that it is even more important that the sense of responsibility in the governments of all countries for the prevention of natural disasters and for the alleviation of their consequences grows, quite especially beyond legislative periods and changes of government and becomes independent from short-term concerns about political elections and annual budgets. The recent years have unmistakably demonstrated that climate change not only leads to more frequent natural disasters, but that these also continue to expand geographically – also to us. This requires joint actions across borders, realistic emergency planning and courageous investments in order to avoid tragedies like that of February 6, 2023 as well as to be able to help those affected more quickly and better.
