As of: February 6, 2024, 6:00 a.m
By: Katrin Woitsch
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A small child is rescued from the rubble of a house in Hatay after the earthquake on February 6, 2023.
© YONHAP
A year ago the earth shook in Turkey and Syria.
Tens of thousands died and millions lost everything they had.
The Kauferinger organization LandsAid helps people in the crisis area.
The physical wounds have healed – the emotional ones have not healed yet.
The tears come quickly, in almost every conversation.
No matter who Carola Gerhardinger talks to, she immediately notices how little the wounds have healed.
And how great the fear still is.
All it takes is a gust of wind shaking a tarpaulin and she can see the panic in people's eyes.
A year has passed since the earth shook in southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria.
A lot of rubble has been removed, many ruins have been demolished - but the people are far from being able to put the earthquake behind them.
Earthquake tragedy in Turkey – situation still precarious
Tens of thousands of people died or were seriously injured in the disaster a year ago.
Millions have lost their homes.
Gerhardinger works for the Kaufering aid organization LandsAid.
The volunteers were already in the disaster areas in February 2023.
Since then, the help has never stopped.
There is still a lot to do, reports Gerhardinger, who has just returned from Samandag, a community in Hatay.
Psychological help in particular would be needed much more locally.
“The people who lost everything are severely traumatized,” she reports.
Some have lost parents or children - many have lost everything they own.
Families still live in makeshift tents, and container areas have now been created for many of them, reports the 41-year-old project manager.
LandsAid has set up 24 living containers in Samandag that are well insulated and equipped with air conditioning and heating.
A container serves as a trauma therapy center.
There, psychologists from the region look after the earthquake victims.
Help for earthquake victims urgently needed – mistrust of the government is high
The fact that they are locals is not just important because of the language, explains Gerhardinger.
But also because of the cultural background.
“But we need a lot more support,” says the woman from Kaufering.
She visited many families during her four-day trip last week.
They showed her scars - and told her about February 6, 2023.
“I met a woman who lost twelve relatives in the earthquake,” she says.
“She hasn't slept through the night for a year, the fear of new earthquakes is so deep.” Another family told her in tears how their house collapsed.
They were all able to escape outside - but the father died of a heart attack a few days later.
“Without him, the family is helpless.”
Life in living containers: Carola Gerhardinger from LandsAid visited the people in Samandag.
© LandsAid
People don't think much about the future, reports Gerhardinger.
They are currently struggling far too much with the present.
Some had gone to the tourist resorts to work over the summer.
But now most have returned.
They want to stay on their piece of land - because for many it is the only thing they have left.
“Some have worked for years for their house or their car, now everything is gone,” says Gerhardinger.
Turkey has offered to rebuild houses and contribute half of the costs.
“But hardly anyone can afford the other half.” People are afraid of being dispossessed by the debt and also losing their land.
That's why they prefer to stay in the containers.
“The distrust of the government is noticeably high,” says Gerhardinger.
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Years of reconstruction: Kauferinger aid organization helps in Turkey
LandsAid is still trying to collect donations for the earthquake victims (donation account DE66 7005 2060 0000 0140 01).
But the willingness to donate has decreased significantly, reports the project manager.
Also because of the many other crises in the world.
Nevertheless, the help never stopped.
The small Kaufering aid organization works closely with the helpers on site.
She has succeeded in providing help to more than 100,000 people in Turkey and 4,000 people in Syria in nine projects, reports CEO Gaby Breuckmann.
“We support people with food, clean drinking water, hygiene products and accommodation, school supplies and psychological help.” LandsAid would like to continue with this.
Breuckmann is convinced: “Reconstruction will take many years.”
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