Urgent need of tents, heaters in quake zone

KAHRAMANMARAŞ

Grief-stricken earthquake victims struggling with cold weather are in dire need of tents and heaters to keep them warm and sheltered.

After the two deadly earthquakes that rattled the country’s south, emergency needs such as food, clothing and blankets in the first days have been replaced by tents, tent mats, quilts, pillows and stoves.

With temperatures dropping to minus degrees at night, shelter and heating have become a grave matter of concern for earthquake victims who are dealing with a lack of basic necessities.

Numerous people from all across the country have taken action to solve the need for stoves.

While many benefactors deliver stoves to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), teachers and students in vocational high schools in several provinces are turning barrels into stoves.

Tents, containers, mobile toilets and bathrooms, mobile kitchens, electric heaters, large and small tubes, stoves and pocket heaters are still on the urgent needs list of AFAD.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry announced that preparations have begun for a living space for 6,000 people in Adıyaman.

Tent cities where 750 people can be accommodated in the stadium of Adıyaman University and 2,000 people in the stadium of Adıyamanspor were established, the ministry stated.

Some 175,960 tents and 1.5 million blankets were transferred to the 10 quake-hit provinces.

Around 105,960 families have been accommodated in tents so far.

In addition to shelter facilities, four mobile social service centers were also assigned in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Osmaniye and Malatya.