The Presidency’s Directorate of Communications published the book "Disaster of the Century: Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes on February 06, 2023" about the earthquakes that struck Kahramanmaraş province of Türkiye on February 6th.
The book, whose introduction was written by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, details the steps taken by Türkiye as a whole, as a state and a nation, to heal the wounds in the field, as well as the work it has performed since the first moment of the earthquake disaster, which is described as the "disaster of the century."
The book, prepared in Turkish, English and Arabic, consists of six chapters titled "About the Earthquakes that Occurred on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş,” "Understanding the Disaster of the Century", "Search and Rescue Activities after the Earthquake", "Disaster Communication and Combating Disinformation", "Post-earthquake Solidarity" and "Post-Earthquake Reconstruction and Recovery Efforts".
The book, which details the work of the teams working in rapid coordination on the ground in the aftermath of the disaster, as well as the international search and rescue teams that arrived in Türkiye in response to the international call for help, also emphasises the importance of unity and solidarity.
The book, which includes detailed scientific data on the earthquake, also describes the destruction caused by the disaster of the century and its effects on natural, historical and cultural assets.
The book contains information on aids such as shelter and food, psychosocial support services, and efforts to ensure the continuity of education, as well as reconstruction and recovery projects implemented by the state.
The book was presented to the leaders and members of the delegation at the “Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States" hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan indicated in the introduction of the book that on February 6, 2023, Türkiye experienced the earthquakes described as the “disaster of the century” that caused the most loss of life, destruction and suffering in the history of the Republic.
President Erdoğan stressed that the first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that struck the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş at 04.17, and the second earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 centred in Elbistan, which occurred approximately 9 hours later, caused destruction in 62 districts and 10 thousand 190 villages in 11 provinces that day, and he highlighted that from the first moment of the earthquake, they mobilised all their resources as the state and the nation.
President Erdoğan indicated that they directed all the search and rescue, aid and support capacities of their ministries, institutions and organisations to the earthquake zone, stating that they quickly dispatched professional search and rescue teams in response to the international call for assistance with nearly 11,500 personnel from 90 countries, including NATO and the European Union, to the field.
President Erdoğan noted that they assembled an unprecedented search and rescue force in the world with a total of 35,000 people, indicating that a total of over 270,000 public servants and volunteers, including aid and support personnel, took on duty in the earthquake zone.
“We are focused on healing the wounds and quickly remedying all the losses of the country”
President Erdoğan stated that we lived through a period during which approximately half a million people came to the aid of earthquake survivors, adding,
“The historic solidarity demonstrated by our nation in these difficult days has enhanced our confidence for the future. We see a solidarity that will set an example to the world, where all the needs of our people affected by the earthquake, from shelter to food and clothing, are met collaboratively. Thankfully, at the end of four weeks, we reached a point where we completed the search and rescue efforts, addressed the housing and food issues, and the debris removal efforts are ongoing at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, we want to relocate our people to their new residences as soon as possible. This is why our top priority is seeing our people settled into their new homes, where they can live in safety and harmony as quickly as possible. Our goal is to start the construction of 244 thousand houses and 75 thousand village houses in the next two months. According to the current planning, we aim to build 488 thousand new houses in total, including 405 thousand residences and 83 thousand village houses and deliver them to our citizens within one year.
We cannot bring back our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake, but we have the resolve and power to remedy all the destruction and damage. At the moment, we are focused on healing the wounds in the earthquake area and quickly remedying all the losses of the country. While planning the reconstruction and revival of the earthquake areas, along with material remedy, we also attach importance to the treatment of wounds opened in our souls, that is, to fortify our spiritual strength. As a nation, we will overcome this major disaster. Once again, I extend my wishes for a quick recovery to our nation, wish mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake, and offer my condolences to their families and loved ones and wish them patience.”