The dilemma between living in tents and moving on

It has been almost a year since the February 6 earthquakes centered in Maraş. In Hatay, the last days of January are as cold and rainy as the first days of the earthquakes. Shelter remains the most pressing issue. Hatay Governor Mustafa Masatlı announced earlier this month that 83,000 buildings in the city had collapsed or sustained severe damage, and they have cleared 95% of the debris.

In the Aşağıokçular neighborhood in the Defne district, there are about 10 tents set up on empty premises. Seven families have become both neighbors and "companions in adversity" here. Of course, they are not staying in the tents by choice. Some stay in tents because they don't own property, while others cannot afford the renovation costs for their damaged apartments. Authorities, however, are urging for the tents to be removed "as soon as possible."

Bülent, a 45-year-old construction worker, has been living in a tent with his wife and two children for about nine months. His house is uninhabitable, and the renovation cost is about 200 to 300,000 TL. Bülent stated, "We requested a Swedish tent*, but they rejected it. They say, 'Show us your land with a title.' If I had my own title, I wouldn't come to you in the first place. But we are showing them the land, telling them to place us here, unfortunately, they are stalling the process. I don't want to leave here. I want to stay in my neighborhood."

Defne is the second-most affected Hatay district from the earthquakes, following Antakya. With significant destruction in its central neighborhoods such as Sümerler, Armutlu, and Çekmece, rural parts of the district have seen increased migration. In this process, Aşağıokçular, which is relatively less affected by destruction and adjacent to the Sümerler neighborhood, has become the "new center."

In this neighborhood, about four kilometers from the historic city center, there are mostly four-story apartment buildings constructed in the last ten years and two-story "old" detached houses. Therefore, property prices in the neighborhood have significantly increased after the earthquakes.

Halkevleri (People’s Houses), actively engaged in solidarity efforts in Aşağıokçular since the earthquakes and having established a "Life Center" in the area, says that they have “found solutions through solidarity” for the people staying in tents.

Evrim Çakır, Deputy Chair of Halkevleri, said they had leased land for the Swedish tents to be provided by the authorities. “However, the district governorship does not accept it arbitrarily. We asked them to justify their reasons legally. We couldn't get an answer. We know their concern is to prevent the solidarity of the people here.”

Addressing the authorities, Çakır called for the fulfillment of the earthquake survivors’ demands.

Dilek, a 46-year-old, has been living with her husband and two children for about a year. The building where she was renting a home was demolished after being severely damaged on February 6.

Dilek mentions they are living in very challenging conditions, saying, "There is no water. Often there is no electricity. We are very cold. When there is no water, we face hygiene problems."

On the other hand, like her neighbor Bülent, she is also complaining about the lack of solutions.

"They want to take us from here to the container city. But we don't want to go. This is my neighborhood. The authorities said, 'Find a place and solve it that way.' We found a place, but they constantly prolong the process and create obstacles for us. Even though everything is ready…

"Yes, I don't want to live in a tent, but I want to live with the people I know, I want to live with them. I feel happier when I am with them. At least we need this a lot right now. Currently, I only want the container I applied for to be given to me by the state and to be placed on the land we found here."

*Swedish tents, named after their origin, are container-type tents that not only provide insulation but also generate their own electricity through solar panels.