Turkey's quake victims find disaster coordination insufficient

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey’s eastern province of Van was struck by a 7.2-magnitude temblor on Oct 23, 2011. More than 600 people died, and another 4,152 were wounded. AA photo

Turkey lacks an earthquake action plan and fails to provide the necessary coordination and conditions, problems exacerbated by a harsh climate, a recent survey conducted after the deadly Van earthquake by the Istanbul-based Child Foundation (Çocuk Vakfı) has claimed.

The survey, conducted with the cooperation of 1200 quake victims, who are currently staying in temporary shelter homes, containers and tents, reveals that while the most satisfactory services were provided in health services, disaster emergency and coordination services are failing.

Some 80.9 percent of the respondents said the shelters they were given were not enough to meet heating and other housing needs, while 86.2 percent expected governmental support in finding employment following the earthquake.

Respondents also said the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) was not able to manage to provide coordination between ministries and the Van governorship to distribute aid.

When it came to health problems, 56.8 percent of the respondents said they suffered from psychological problems after the quake, while 18.2 had orthopedic and 12.2 cardiac and lower respiratory diseases after the earthquake. However, these victims generally said they had been given the necessary health aid. 

Claustrophobia has been one of the most frequent disorders in Van after the quake, with 77.5 percent of respondents saying they could not easily enter indoor spaces. 

Most of the victims, 87 percent, said they had been living in a fear of another earthquake at any moment. Also, 85.7 said they were excessively worried about their family members’ state of health after the quake.

The Child Foundation held the survey in Dec 2011, in cooperation with Van’s Yüzüncü Yıl University. 
The eastern province of Van was struck by a 7.2-magnitude temblor in Oct. 23, 2011. Some 604 people died while another 4,152 were wounded in the earthquake.