Locals desert quake-hit Turkish city as aftershocks continue

In the wake of strong aftershocks that continue to shake the eastern province of Van and a third earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.2, being recorded early on Tuesday, a large proportion of Van's population is deserting the city as officials continue to search for accommodation solutions more suitable to the unusually cold weather.

A magnitude 7.2 quake last month and a magnitude 5.7 quake last week flattened some 2,000 buildings, killed 644 people and left thousands homeless in the eastern province of Van. An unusually cold November is forcing earthquake survivors to endure ongoing suffering beyond the initial disaster.

Thousands left homeless are sheltering in tents and having to endure unseasonably frosty weather in the region. The Anatolia news agency reported that weather officials said on Monday that temperatures dipped as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight in the town of Erciş, which was worst hit in the first quake.

Fear is spreading among the population with reports citing an increase in cases of cold-related illnesses, especially among children. The media reported that a 7-year-old handicapped girl living in makeshift tent died of pneumonia in Erciş on Sunday. Her father claimed that he had not been able to obtain a more suitable tent from authorities.

People began to flee the provincial capital as aftershocks shook the city in the aftermath of the first earthquake last month and the second earthquake last week. A third earthquake struck Van province early Tuesday, this time at a magnitude of 5.2, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, the Anatolia news agency reported. Its epicenter was in the village of Mollakasim.

The quakes and aftershocks have turned the provincial capital into a virtual ghost town, stated Van Governor Münir Karaloğlu on Monday. "Almost none of the buildings are in use," he said. Karaloğlu also requested people around the country and officials to continue to send warm clothes, blankets and food packages.

Very few state-owned buildings in the capital survived the quake, Karaloğlu told Anatolia. Many residents have fled because they fear going back into their homes, even those that weren't damaged by the earthquake. While there has been an exodus by many residents, other families have shunned camps for fear of leaving their homes unguarded against looters.

Many students who were studying in Van already left the city following the first quake and Van residents with family in other provinces such as Mersin, Adana, Antalya and İstanbul have left for those cities fearing the approaching winter and further earthquakes.

Turkey is facing the most challenging aspect of post-quake conditions as the situation moves beyond criticisms of the initial tent shortage, when officials were accused of failing to provide a sufficient number of tents to those in need. The issue is shifting to a concern that even the most durable tents by the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), which are the variety most wanted by locals, will not be adequate in conditions of minus 15 degrees Celsius.

"It is impossible to live in those tents through an entire winter," said Hüseyin Çelik, a former minister of education and current deputy from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), as quoted in the Vatan daily on Tuesday.

Çelik said the government is working on a three-step plan to transfer those left homeless by the earthquakes to various state-run hotels and leisure facilities across the country to help people get through the oncoming winter.

A second option includes temporarily relocating people to private hotels and holiday villages after making arrangements between with the owners and operators of those facilities.

Çelik also urged individuals who have vacant summer houses to consider opening their homes to earthquake victims for the winter. Some volunteers have already offered to take in families in need of shelter.


/World Bulletin/