Residents of 'moderately damaged" buildings face uncertainty in Maraş

In the earthquakes centered in Maraş, thousands of citizens lost their lives, and thousands are grappling with problems. Some citizens, stating that their homes have been deemed to have 'moderately damage,' claim that they have been victimized.

Following the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, residents of Maraş are facing housing uncertainty after their buildings were labeled as "moderately damage" and, in the fifth month after the earthquake, declared an "inappropriate area." Citizens in Maraş, the epicenter of the earthquake, are trying to convey their concerns to authorities under the umbrella of the "moderately-Damaged Building and Inappropriate Area Victims Platform."

Halil Kodaz, the spokesperson for the moderately-Damaged Building and Inappropriate Area Platform, also a victim of a moderately-damaged building, made the following statements to bianet:

"The faulty actions of institutions and organizations have further victimized us on top of what we lost in the earthquake. Incorrect assessments resulted in labeling buildings with minimal damage as moderately or severely damaged, putting us in a difficult situation. We are fighting for the correction of this mistake. As a platform, we demand an independent review of buildings labeled as moderately damage. The reason we are starting our actions now is that, despite 11 months after the earthquake, no steps have been taken to alleviate the grievances. They also declared an 'inappropriate area' based on the pretext of landslide detection."

"Incorrect damage assessments"

Kodaz, who mentioned living in a house with two families due to a significant increase in rents after the earthquake, continued:

"With the increase in rents, two families are sharing one house, and there is no concept of privacy. We cannot enter our supposedly moderately-damaged home because of the given moderately damage assessment. I cannot even take our belongings from my apartment because of this assessment. I don't know for what purpose the state got into such a situation, but in the area they declared as an 'inappropriate area' citing the risk of landslides, our investigation shows no such risk."

"At the same time, the damage assessments we had done by both university and other relevant organization units show that our buildings are intact. In the so-called inappropriate area, there hasn't been a single collapse or death due to the earthquake. Nevertheless, while areas where destruction and deaths occurred were deemed appropriate, why was the area with 6 thousand buildings declared an inappropriate area?"

Kodaz stated that there are 3,500 people in the platform, and "6 thousand moderately-damaged buildings correspond to about 25 thousand apartments. This many people cannot be ignored. As the victims of this decision, we can reinforce our homes ourselves, just don't demolish them. If our houses are genuinely moderately-damaged, we are not against them being demolished, but the damage assessments made are incorrect. If our homes are genuinely moderately-damaged, we can demolish them ourselves."

Kodaz emphasized that Maraş has been turned into an uninhabitable city, saying, "No MP, mayor took care of their hometown. We were faced with these problems before mourning our losses. I lost 65 relatives, underwent heart surgery. After this destruction, we had to struggle for our lives without even recovering ourselves. The authorities of the state add salt to our wounds. They don't even interact with us; no one even asks about our troubles. Has this country become so abandoned?"

"Our ordeal is worse than the earthquake"

Fatma Sayılgan, a member of the platform, stated that a "moderately-damaged" assessment was made for the house she obtained after 31 years of work, and said:

"I bought my house two years ago, and the debt I will pay for three years continues. Now I am fighting again for the house I bought with 31 years of effort. We experienced not an earthquake but a doomsday, yet what we went through after the earthquake is worse. The decision for the 'inappropriate area' in the Onikişubat region where we live was made according to whom and based on what. There was not even a single movement of a stone in this region.

"There is documented evidence that there is no risk of landslides. There is no loss of life or destruction due to the earthquake in the so-called inappropriate area. Yet they declared it an inappropriate area. I didn't buy a shanty. I bought my house with a title deed, approved by the municipality, and from the most suitable area. If it is said to be moderately-damaged, okay, we can reinforce it ourselves. Let them withdraw this 'inappropriate area' decision, and we will strengthen our building. Winter has come; let us stay comfortably in our homes. A ground analysis has also been done, and there is no risk of landslides."

"Who is luckier?"

Zeynep Ahraz also said:

"We, the victims, gather in front of the Provincial Directorate of Environment, municipalities, and the governorship, but there is no one to talk to. We call on Minister Mehmet Özhaseki to come and demolish our house if it is genuinely moderately-damaged. We don't want decisions based on damage assessments done with one or two hammer blows. We want scientific explanations. All officials are silent. The simplest example is this: the other day, we gathered in front of the AKP provincial building. I went there with my little child; the weather was very cold. Those in the AKP provincial building were watching us from the windows with their teas in hand.

"While we are trying to tell our grievances in the cold, the decision they made disturbs our households. My husband cannot focus on his work. I am at home, but they are burying us alive in the rubble. No one hears our voice. It has been 11 months; are our lives so cheap? If we are in an inappropriate area, why did you open it up for construction? If you opened it up for construction, and you are confident, why don't you come and conduct an examination for damage assessment again? We ask whether those who died in the earthquake are lucky or those who survived."

(OE/AÖ)