As we leave behind the first year of the earthquake... Evaluation Note / Burcu Aydın Özüdoğru

Today is February 6, 2024. One year ago, two earthquakes of Mw 7.7 and 7.6 occurred in Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş, caused great loss of life and destruction in 11 provinces. Weeks of search and rescue efforts were mobilized all over Turkey. But the magnitude of loss of life was devastating. According to official statements, 53,537 citizens died, and 107,213 citizens were injured.  Because of the losses, the earthquake went down in history as the disaster of the century.

So, what has happened in the earthquake zone in the one-year period since the earthquake? What has been the impact on the Turkish economy?

• First, let us remember the devastation caused by the earthquake and its cost.

In March 2023, I prepared a detailed assessment of the devastation caused by the earthquake in the report "Impacts and Policy Recommendations of the Kahramanmaraş Centered Earthquake in 2023" at TEPAV. According to this report, I estimated that 650 thousand independent units in the earthquake zone were demolished or needed to be demolished urgently, 170 thousand units were moderately damaged, and 1.4 million units were slightly damaged. 650 thousand independent units that were demolished or needed to be demolished due to the earthquake was approximately 7 times the number of dwellings according to the certificate of occupancy issued in 2022 in all 11 provinces affected by the earthquake in Turkey. It was also more than the number of occupancy permits issued in 2022 across Turkey. This shows the massive size of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

You may read evaluation note from here.