Following the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, numerous issues were presented to people involved. Multiple agencies submitted figures on life and monetary losses, even while search and rescue operations were still underway. Organizations of different varieties campaigned for donations and the Turkish government pledged to supply renters and homeowners with financial aid and promises to rebuild. Other pressing issues while the region was in recovery mode were a rocket attack, crime, flooding, and a tornado. Estimations of losses
The USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) service estimated a 35 percent probability of economic losses between US$10 billion and US$100 billion. There was a 34 percent probability of economic losses exceeding US$100 billion. The service estimated a 36 percent probability of deaths between 10,000 and 100,000; 26 percent probability of deaths exceeding 100,000. For the second large earthquake, there was a 46 percent probability of deaths between 1,000 and 10,000; 30 percent probability of deaths between 100 and 1,000. The service also estimated a 35 percent probability of economic losses between US$1 billion and US$10 billion; 27 percent probability of economic losses between US$10 billion and US$100 billion.
On 11 February, when the death toll was reported at about 28,000, United Nations emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said he expected it to "more than double". The World Health Organization said up to 26 million people may have been affected; 15 million in Turkey and 11 million in Syria.
Immediately after the earthquakes the Turkish lira value struck a record low of 18.85 against the US dollar, but rebounded to its starting position at the end of the day. Turkish stock markets fell; main equities benchmark fell as much as 5 percent and banks fell 5.5 percent but recovered from the losses. The country's main stock market dropped 1.35 percent on 6 February. The Borsa Istanbul fell 8.6 percent on 7 February, and declined by more than 7 percent on the morning of 8 February before trading was suspended; the exchange then announced it would close for five days. When the exchange reopened, Turkey's stock soared nearly 10 percent while the lira fell to a record low of 18.9010 against the dollar. Total cost of earthquake damage in Turkey was estimated by TÜRKONFED at $84.1 billion US dollars; $70.75 billion on rebuilding, $10.4 billion loss in national income, and an additional $2.91 billion loss in workforce. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said rebuilding would cost $105 billion. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said potential losses may be up to 1 percent of Turkey's GDP in 2023. The Turkish government released a preliminary report estimating the total damage cost at $103.6 billion; corresponding to 9 percent of its GDP in 2023. About half of residential property in the affected area is thought to be covered by Compulsory Earthquake Insurance.
The United Nations Development Programme estimated between 116 million and 210 million tons of debris must be cleared in Turkey. The volume of building debris was estimated at ; greater than any recent natural disaster. The amount is 10 times that produced during the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In Syria, the World Bank estimated $5.1 billion in damages, excluding economic impact and losses. Nearly half the cost was direct damage to residential buildings and 18 percent on infrastructure. The amount of destroyed or damaged capital stock was about 10 percent of Syria's GDP. The World Bank estimated the reconstruction cost at $7.9 billion, additionally the economy may contract by up to 5.5 percent in 2023.
Turkey
In the immediate aftermath, thousands were trapped under rubble when buildings collapsed. Many people were missing in collapsed buildings. Survivors trapped under rubble livestreamed their pleas for help on social media. Some trapped survivors shared their location on social media which allowed rescuers to reach them. People who lost contact with their relatives also sent pleas on social media. Several tens of thousands of people across the region were left homeless and spent the night in cold weather. Officials had plans to open hotels in Antalya, Alanya and Mersin to temporarily accommodate the affected population. Authorities were slammed by residents in Hatay Province, who criticized the insufficient search and rescue efforts. Hatay Airport's runway was heavily damaged, making rescue efforts challenging. On 7 February, authorities said 1,846 people in the province have been rescued.
Mosques in Turkey were used as shelters for people unable to return to their homes amid freezing temperatures. In Gaziantep, people sought refuge in shopping malls, stadiums, community centers, and mosques. Nearly 250,000 displaced persons resided in schools across Malatya Province. At least 24 mobile kitchens from vocational schools in the province were distributed across the affected areas.
Several Turkish humanitarian institutions such as Ahbap from Haluk Levent, the Turkish Philanthropy Funds (US-based), and Turkish Red Crescent (besides other IFRC members around the world) also launched emergency appeals to help the victims.
Turkish Airlines said it would provide free flights from the provinces of Adana, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Malatya, Elazığ and Kahramanmaraş. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority opened an invitation for citizen volunteers to help with rescue efforts in the affected area. Thousands of volunteers arrived at Istanbul Airport. Bilal Ekşi, CEO of Turkish Airlines, said it has flown 11,780 volunteers on 80 flights to Adana, Gaziantep, Adiyaman and Şanlıurfa. Pegasus Airlines said it evacuated 30,771 people from the affected area on 169 flights between 6 and 9 February. Between 6 and 11 February, Turkish Airlines said it evacuated 139,438 people from the affected area on 790 flights. It carried 7,833 members of search and rescue and aid groups to the affected area on 1,595 flights.
Search and rescue President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter, "search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched" to the affected area. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu urged residents to refrain from entering damaged buildings. On 7 February, President Erdoğan declared a 3-month state of emergency in the 10 affected provinces: Adana, Hatay, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Malatya and Diyarbakır.
The national government declared a level four alert to appeal for international aid. According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, 25,000 search and rescue personnel were dispatched to the 10 affected provinces. At least 70 countries offered to help in search and rescue operations.
Emergency services in Turkey were activated and looked for survivors trapped under many collapsed buildings. By 8 February, more than 8,000 people were rescued from rubble across 10 provinces. About 380,000 individuals took refuge at relief shelters or hotels.
An "air aid corridor" was established by the Turkish Armed Forces to mobilize search and rescue teams. Many military aircraft including an Airbus A400M and C-130 Hercules planes transported search and rescue teams and vehicles to the area. Food, blankets and psychological teams were also sent. Turkey sent an official request to NATO and allies for assistance.
Over 53,000 Turkish emergency workers were deployed to the regions affected from the earthquakes. A team of 90 miners from Soma arrived at Osmaniye to provide assistance. The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality also sent dozens of vehicles and equipment.
Poor weather conditions including snow, rain and freezing temperatures disrupted search and rescue efforts undertaken by rescue workers and civilians. Rescuers and volunteers wore winter clothing while searching for survivors. Damaged roads also slowed down aid delivery.
On 8 February, Erdoğan visited the town of Pazarcık, Kahramanmaraş Province and Hatay Province. He acknowledged "shortcomings" in the response to the earthquake, but denied that there was an insufficient number of personnel involved in rescue operations. He also described people saying they hadn't seen security forces at all in some areas as "provocateurs".
AFAD announced on 19 February that search and rescue efforts in most of the affected provinces had ceased. The chairperson of AFAD, Yunus Sezer, said efforts would largely be discontinued by the night of 19 February. Operations were still ongoing for 40 buildings in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay provinces by 19 February.
Charity and volunteer campaigns
President of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kınık, said the national blood stock may not be sufficient and made an appeal on social media urging people to donate blood across the country. On 7 February, many search and rescue teams from various cities, many from Istanbul, and AFAD volunteers reached the affected areas. At Istanbul, 12,752 volunteers were flown on 73 flights to the region by 06:00. By 11 February, there were over 159,000 volunteer and professional search and rescue personnel in the affected area.
Eight of Turkey's most-watched television channels organized a joint broadcast of an aid campaign. The channels; ATV, FOX, Kanal D, Kanal 7, Show TV, Star TV, TRT 1 and TV8 ortak organized the Türkiye Beats with One Heart Campaign on 15 February. The broadcast was featured on 213 television channels and 562 radio stations. The campaign received $6.1 billion in donations; the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey was the largest donor, pledging $1.6 billion. Ziraat Bank and VakıfBank each pledged $1 billion. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, Turkish Football Federation, Super League Clubs Association Foundation and beIN Media Group organized the Omuz Omuza campaign which raised $44.8 million on the first day.
Government assistance
The government said it would pay compensation to those who have lost their homes. President Erdoğan said ₺15,000 in relocation assistance per household would be given to those whose homes were moderate, heavy or total destruction. Rent assistance of up to ₺5,000 would be given to homeowners and ₺2,000 to tenants.
On 9 February, after touring the city of Gaziantep, Erdoğan promised to rebuild destroyed homes of survivors within one year. He also said the government is working on temporary accommodation for those made homeless. That same day, force majeure was imposed in the affected region and tax obligations between 6 February and 31 July 2023, were postponed until 31 July 2023.
On 10 February, while touring Adıyaman Province, Erdoğan reiterated the promise to rebuild all homes within one year, and added that the government will subsidize rents for those unwilling to stay in tents. He later added that more than 141,000 rescue personnel, including foreign teams, were working in the 10 affected provinces, that 100 billion lira (US$5.3 billion) were allocated to the disaster response. On 22 February, the Turkish government announced plans to construct 200,000 homes in the 11 affected provinces and a further 70,000 in villages.
Over 1.9 million people were rehoused in dormitories, guest houses, tents, hotels and containers. AFAD issued a statement on 16 February, detailing that 387,000 tents had been established in the affected area by local and international organizations. Erdoğan said 890,000 survivors were placed in dormitories and 50,000 in hotels. He added that 1.6 million people had access to shelter. Across the affected region, 162 container cities were established. The governor of Şırnak, Osman Bilgin, said the district would be demolished and reconstructed.