Turkey was shaken by earthquakes that occurred one after another in the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş on Monday.
In the earthquake that affected 10 provinces, thousands of people left the cities and went to their relatives in Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the earthquake, as well as Adıyaman, Hatay and Gaziantep, which felt its severe impact.
Cities left behind by citizens became ghost towns.
Turkey entered its 8th day under the influence of the earthquake. Citizens living in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman and Gaziantep, Malatya, where the earthquake caused great destruction, are leaving their hometowns.
While it was stated that thousands of people left the city in the first days of the earthquake in Maraş, hundreds of thousands of people left together with Adıyaman, Hatay and Gaziantep.
CITIZENS CANNOT SAVE ANYTHING EXCEPT THEIR LIVES
While the effect of the 7.7 earthquake that occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş on Monday, February 6, continued in a shocking way, the second earthquake of 7.6 that occurred in the Elbistan district had severe consequences in 10 provinces.
On the 8th day of the earthquake, as the picture got heavier, a great destruction was seen in the provincial centers of Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Hatay and Malatya. In Gaziantep, there were no undamaged buildings in districts such as Islahiye and Nurdağı.
EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS FLOCK TO SAFE PLACES
While anxiety prevails in 10 provinces where aftershocks still continue and fear of a new earthquake is experienced, it is stated that the earthquake will affect a large region and the destruction will be heavy, and the construction process in the provinces will take a long time.
This situation caused the survivors of the earthquake, whose houses were not usable, to leave the region as they could not meet their shelter needs. While it is stated that the migration from the provinces will continue, the earthquake victims waiting at the head of the debris will move after their relatives are reached.
After burying his relatives who lost their lives, he will leave the provinces and emigrate. Citizens migrate to cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa or from nearby cities to cities such as Mersin and Antalya to their relatives. On the other hand, earthquake survivors have to leave without taking anything with them while migrating.
THE POOR CANNOT FIND THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMMIGRATE
Citizens who were alarmed by the shock of the earthquake left the cities with their families. Citizens who did not want to stay in the damaged buildings had to leave the city without taking anything from their homes.
Explaining that he went to Ordu with his family from Kahramanmaraş, the earthquake survivor said, "On the night of the earthquake, I took my children and went downstairs. It was raining and snowing. We took shelter in our neighbor's bus. Just then, another earthquake occurred. The walls of the house I stayed in were very damaged. The building was not demolished, but we could not trust it. When we couldn't find a safe place to take my family that night, we decided to leave the city. I left them in Ordu, where I had close relatives, and returned to Maraş. Now I'm trying to help the people who are left behind," he said.
On the other hand, the poor in these provinces do not have the means to migrate. While citizens without a vehicle cannot enter the buildings damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, they have been trying to hold on to life by lighting a fire in the freezing cold for three or four nights.
Earthquake survivor speaking to our newspaper in the field, "Our house was almost destroyed. We were barely able to escape. We are trying to survive by our own means. We can't go right now. We have no choice but to stay here," he said.
CITIES TURNED INTO GHOSTS
After the earthquake, which described the majority as metropolitan cities and affected approximately 14 million people in total, with the effect of the severe earthquake, the cities turned into ghosts as a result of the serious migrations from Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep and Adıyaman. Except for the units working on the earthquake, almost every place in the city, including government institutions, is closed due to the effect of the earthquake. While the city centers, shopping malls and bazaars, which were dense before the earthquake, became secluded, silence prevailed in the streets and avenues.