Tent cities in Hatay scorching from extreme heat
Fevzi Kızılkoyun – Selahattin Sönmez - HATAY
The southern province of Hatay’s earthquake survivors struggle to adjust to their new lifestyles in tent cities, as sweltering temperatures of up to 36 degrees Celsius add to their difficulties.
While most of the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes’ survivors in Hatay are settled in container cities, there are still some who stay in tents. While the quake survivors are trying to adapt to their new lives in tents and containers, they are also struggling with many other problems such as the extreme heat, where the thermometer reads 36 degrees.
Especially in containers and tents without any air conditioning and ventilators, the scorching hot weather makes the living conditions even more challenging, and the most urgent need in the region is air conditioning.
While it is not possible to shelter in the tents where the heat is felt twice as much during the day, earthquake survivors spend time under the shade of trees.
Ayfer Oruçhan, a quake survivor who set up a tent close to her moderately damaged house, explained to local media that along with many problems such as having access to clean water and hygiene products, their life has become even more difficult with the arrival of the summer and the extreme heat.
“We cannot stay in the tents in the heat during the day, and since we have nowhere else to go, we take shelter in the shade we find. We spend the day in the shadows of trees and bushes. In the heat, it becomes unbearable inside the tents, we cannot breathe. My son, who was sleeping in the tent, got a bloody nose from the heat. It is impossible to stand. There is no air conditioning in our tents, we have nowhere to cool off.”
Ebru Özdemir, another earthquake survivor, stated that without proper heating and cooling systems, they were cold in winter and now they are overwhelmed by the heat.
“They should lend us a helping hand, at least if there were air conditioners or fans in the tents, we could breathe a little,” Özdemir said.
