Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has defended his government’s response to the catastrophic earthquakes, saying it was impossible to prepare for the scale of the disaster.
Earlier in the day, the President acknowledged public concern over the government’s response, admitting that the state initially “had some problems” at airports and on roads, but insisted that the situation was now “under control.”
At least 15,000 people have been confirmed dead in Turkey and northern Syria. Critics claimed that the emergency services’ response was too slow and the government was poorly prepared.
Speaking as he visited several earthquake disaster zones, Erdogan vowed to take “every necessary step” and unite the state and nation so that “we will not leave any citizen unattended.”
However, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, disagreed. “If there is one person responsible for this, it is Erdogan,” he said.
The President rejected the accusation and opined that unity was required in the aftermath of the disaster. “In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,” he iterated.
“No doubt our job was not easy. The difficulty of weather conditions added to the magnitude and prevalence of the destruction caused by this earthquake, which was felt in an area of 500 kilometers in which approximately 13.5 million people live. Despite this, we mobilized all the resources of the state and the nation and directed them to the disaster area.
“Of course there are shortcomings. The conditions are obvious. It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster. We will not leave any of our citizens uncared for.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President
The disaster comes at a sensitive time for Erdogan, who faces an economic downturn and high inflation. Perceptions that his government mismanaged the crisis could hurt his standing. Erdogan said the government would distribute 10,000 Turkish lira ($532) to affected families.
Thousands of survivors have been spending a third night in freezing conditions, with hope fading for many trapped under the rubble.
A World Health Organization official has warned there could be significant injuries caused by freezing temperatures among survivors of the quakes.
Survival Window Closing Rapidly
Experts have disclosed that the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was closing rapidly. At the same time, they said it was too soon to abandon hope.
Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England, revealed, “The first 72 hours are considered to be critical.”
“The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%.”
Steven Godby
In the wake of a separate massive quake in 1999 which killed more than 17,000 people, the Turkish state introduced a so-called “earthquake tax” to provide support as a result of the economic losses from the disaster.
The tax was one of the six taxes introduced after that catastrophe. It was initially introduced as a temporary measure, but subsequently became a permanent levy.
Charged for the past 24 years, local tax expert estimates that the state has collected around 88 billion Turkish lira as a result.
It is unclear how the tax has been spent, whether some of it has been used for reinforcing buildings or for earthquake preparations, which have added to public frustration.
In Gaziantep, there appeared to be a generational split among residents over the state’s handling of the disaster. Some claim the government has mismanaged the funds while others defend that the government is doing its best.
Many parts of Turkey have been designated as very high seismic hazard zones but not all buildings have been built according to the modern Turkish seismic standard.
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