Rebuilding Lives in Türkiye’s Villages in the Aftermath of Earthquakes and Floods

Life has become harder not only in urban centres but also in rural and village settlements due to the twin earthquakes that severely rocked Türkiye, resulting in catastrophic damage in many cities and the loss of tens of thousands of lives.

Winter is always challenging for people living in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and its surrounding villages. However, this year, torrential rains and floods have left communities even more vulnerable in the villages. Although the destruction in villages may not seem as dramatic as in city centres, the aftershocks are still happening to this day, and villagers are hesitant to enter their damaged homes and continue to live in tents under harsh weather conditions.

In collaboration with local authorities, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) travelled through the villages of Kahramanmaraş's Pazarcık district, which surround the epicentre of the earthquakes, to deliver thermal blankets and tarpaulins, supported by USAID and PRM. This support will help increase resilience against rain and cold for those who living in tents.

After receiving a tarpaulin to repair his leaky tent, an elderly man came up to Ömer, an IOM staff member, who distributed the aid, looked up to him and said, holding onto Ömer’s hands tightly:  "May Allah be pleased with you, my son. I am grateful that you are here and have not forgotten us."

As we headed towards our vehicle to reach the next village after the first distribution, Ömer who survived the earthquake in Gaziantep, being proud to be part of this aid effort and dedicated to do more, said : "People's needs are great and they can be happy with the little things we bring for them."

While traveling from one village to another on a single-lane semi-asphalt road, we noticed that all villages looked similar. They all had predominantly single-story or two-story buildings that were completely or partially destroyed. On the walls of the buildings that remained standing, there were cracks to remind of the strength earthquake. Curtains were swaying in the wind through broken windows, while people were striving to leave behind their traumatic earthquakes experiences and look with hope towards the future.

In every village we stopped we were asked whether we were hungry. Bilal, another IOM worker who distributed aid, politely refused another offer of food and tea and said, smiling: "Anatolian hospitality has not been affected by the earthquake." After refusing offers all day, we gave up at the end of the day. On the side of the road, we quickly ate fresh bread, honey from villager’s hives and drank ayran - a traditional yogurt-based drink. After quickly savouring our regenerating snacks aside the road, we exchanged gratitude and continued our way towards the next village.

As the earthquakes rocked the region followed by heavy rains, the people were left vulnerable without proper shelter or warmth. IOM Türkiye has been collaborating closely with the Turkish Government at both national and local levels to provide assistance to communities affected by earthquakes. Thanks to its supply chain management and logistics capacity and the generous donations from USAID and PRM, IOM has delivered thousands of thermal blankets and tarpaulins to support the communities in their struggle to overcome the severe weather conditions after the earthquakes.