You Are Far Away now! Aftermath of Displacement Processes Induced by 6 February 2023 Earthquakes in Turkey

Abstract

Recently, Turkey experienced a disaster in Kahramanmara & scedil; 6 February 2023. Two consecutive earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 Mw and 7.5 Mw, spatially and socially affected provinces of Turkey (Kahramanmara & scedil;, Hatay, Ad & imath;yaman, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, & Scedil;anl & imath;urfa, Malatya, Diyarbak & imath;r, Adana, Kilis, and Elaz & imath;& gbreve;). Roughly 2.7 million people have been predicted to be displaced as a result of the earthquakes. Additionally, more than 50,000 people lost their lives. This study focuses on the forced migration movements to Siirt province, Turkey, due to the displacement of earthquake victims. The aim the study is to reveal the post-earthquake experiences and choice of new settlements in Siirt. Two datasets were utilized to achieve this goal. A list of people who migrated to Siirt ter the earthquake was obtained from AFAD. Additionally, terviews were held with 16 people affected by the earthquake. The interviews were transcribed and coded using MAXQDA 2020. The results showed that the majority of people forcefully migrated to Siirt after the earthquakes preferred to settle in urban and central areas. Kinship ties and being born in the area were the main reasons for this choice. Moreover, significant issues were found in the areas of housing, basic needs, and institutional structure after the earthquakes.