The city of Hatay that survived two massive earthquakes on 6 February was shaken by two more earthquakes with epicentres in Samandağ and Defne districts on 20 February. In both districts, where damaged houses were destroyed by the latest earthquakes, the electricity was cut off again. Survivors stay outside, building a fire, since they fear stronger aftershocks, which continue anyway. The residents who are desperately in need of more tents spoke to ANF.

DAMAGED HOUSES COLLAPSED

The electricity was cut off in the Ekinci neighbourhood, one of the areas most affected by the magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Defne. Damaged houses collapsed within seconds in the neighbourhood, whose residents were enraged by the pro-government media which reported that no house had been damaged. People are now looking for tents rather than worrying about their destroyed houses. On the 16th day of the earthquake, 75 aid tents delivered from Saudi Arabia caused more chaos in the neighbourhood where 30 thousand people reside. The survivors, who were not helped by any single official from the government, were further enraged.

HEADMAN IN EKİNCİ: WE HAVE BEEN IN DESPERATE STRAITS FOR DAYS!

Neighbourhood headman Can Tekin Uçar, who has been trying for days to deliver tents to the residents, said: “We have been in desperate straits for days”. Uçar stated that 70 percent of the buildings were destroyed. The headman, who witnessed the collapse of two buildings during the magnitude 6.4 earthquake, reacted to some pro-government news channels that painted a bright picture of the neighbourhood.

'WE CANNOT FIND ANY OFFICIAL TO ASK HELP'

Uçar remarked that they could not reach any state officials to meet the basic needs in the neighbourhood. He noted that he went to the Disaster Coordination Centre almost every day to air their grievances to the governor's office, district governor's office and high-ranking soldiers, but the official replies were too cumbersome and slow.

'NO TENT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY FOR 16 DAYS'

The headman said that the biggest problem in the neighbourhood is the lack of tents. He added: “16 days have passed, but there is still no tent, nor water or electricity. The survivors still sleep in their cars, barracks and flimsy nylon shelters. The very few tents are not enough for everyone, but the pro-government media are reporting false news. Their aim is to prevent aid delivery to our neighbourhood.”

'WE HAVE NO POWER TO STAND'

The people of the neighbourhood emphasized that they have no power to stand it anymore. A resident said: “11 people are staying in a tent amidst the debris. Tents never come," while another one said that “We lost everything, help us.”

AFAD DOES NOT HELP

The situation in Samandağ, which was hit by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake on Monday evening, is no different from Defne District. A citizen named Şekip Yılmaz, who took shelter at a bus stop with his 85-year-old bedridden mother in Çiğdede District, said that no help came from the state while they remained outside on the street under freezing temperatures for 16 days. Yılmaz said: "We tried to stop the state-run AFAD teams passing through here for help, but they replied to us 'May God save you'. My mother is bedridden, unable to walk or get up, and she is forced to live under these conditions. We are citizens of this country, but we have been left to our fate. We have no place to go, so we continue to stay out on the street.”

'WE CAN'T LEAVE BECAUSE WE HAVE BELONGINGS AT HOME'

Ali Şahutoğulları stays in a tent that he could obtain by his own efforts and set up in front of his house, which is seriously damaged. The man said: “My father died under the wreckage of a demolished hospital because they left him in his bed. Right now, 20 people from a family are staying in a small tent that I managed to get myself. There has been no help from the state, the headman, or anyone else. Our house is about to collapse, but we are keeping watch in front of it so that our belongings inside are not stolen. Our animals are here too. We have nowhere to go.”