Approximately one million people live in tents, prefabricated houses or some temporary shelter institution in Turkey because of the earthquakes of February 6.
Almost half a million have been evacuated from the areas affected by the earthquake, explained Yunus Seker, president of the Turkish national emergency service AFAD, quoted by efe.
The death toll rose to 40,689, a figure that remains provisional as there are still tens of thousands of bodies under the rubble.
The search for survivors has already been completed in most of the region, except for the hardest-hit provinces of Kahramanmaras and Hatay, where searches are still being carried out in some 40 buildings, Seker said.
He promised that in the coming months it is planned to finish the establishment of 100,000 prefabricated houses in the region.
According to the latest figures, released by the Ministry of Urban Planning, 20,000 buildings, totaling 71,000 homes or offices, have collapsed in the eleven affected provinces.
In total, out of 830,000 buildings investigated in the region, 105,000 are either collapsed or so badly damaged that they must be demolished as soon as possible, says a ministry statement.
Three quarters of the total number of buildings inspected have not suffered any damage (407,000) or have only slight damage (205,000), so they can be returned to habitation immediately, according to the Turkish vice president, Fuat Oktay, who was quoted by the Spanish source. .
Blinken flies over affected areas in Turkey
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, flew over one of the affected areas on Sunday, together with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, on his first visit to Turkey.
Profoundly saddened to see first hand the devastation of the earthquakes in #Türkiye. The United States remains committed to doing everything we can to help with rescue, relief, and recovery efforts. @USEmbassyTurkey @usaidsaveslives pic.twitter.com/bc3D7LpgVO
—Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 19, 2023
The Turkish Foreign Minister had received him at the Incirlik airbase, near the city of Adana, reports the Turkish Anadolu agency. Blinken’s official schedule indicates that he will meet relatives of affected Turkish soldiers, American rescue teams and members of the White Helmets, a Syrian humanitarian aid organization.
According to Blinken’s statements, quoted by CNNthe US will add 100 million dollars to its aid funds in Turkey.
The funding includes $50 million under the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) Funds for emergency response efforts and an additional $50 million in humanitarian assistance through the Department of State and USAID.
Tomorrow, Blinken will be in Ankara, where he will participate in an official act with Çavusoglu, whom he will thank for Turkish cooperation in delivering humanitarian aid to the areas affected by the earthquake in Syria.
This is Blinken’s first visit to Turkey, traditionally a major US ally in NATO but embroiled in diplomatic tensions with the White House for years.
With information from EFE and CNN.
