‘The State removes our rubble, we earn our bread’

As images taken of the region in the 42 days since the earthquake reveal the depth and impact of the disaster, people are still in anguish and cities are under rubble. Kahramanmaraş, the epicenter of the earthquake, with its villages completely destroyed, industries damaged and tents set up on every vacant land, is proof of how far we are at the beginning of the road. During our visit to the region, the picture worsens as we go down Trabzon street, which is also the epicenter of some kind of destruction.

THE POPULATION WILL DROP TO 100 THOUSAND PEOPLE

On the one hand, the construction machines working on the rubble, on the other hand, the citizens trying to get what they can out of the half-demolished and badly damaged houses, and the local people waiting for an intervention in front of the damaged buildings. in the other one. The population in the city center is claimed to have dropped to 100,000 due to intense migration. In the historic Maraş bazaar, home to 495 shops, where the merchants, who survived hoping to cling to life, began to open their shutters, there is destruction on one side and an effort to come back to life on the other. We see that only the police and voluntary organizations like AFAD in the region shop at the bazaar, which is usually full of expatriate tourists in the summer months. The biggest wish of the bazaar merchants we interviewed is for the rubble to be removed as soon as possible.

Not only Maraş, but Turkey lost a teacher

Cookware manufacturer Sedat Büyükçıkrıkçı: “We don’t want state money. If they help with scraps, we win with production. To what extent does it help? My teacher was under the rubble. Not only Kahramanmaraş, Turkey lost a teacher. We cannot reach the masters of aluminum and steel. Let the state remove our rubble.”

Our correspondent Count Başçı talked to the merchants about their wishes and problems in the Maraş bazaar, which is located in the heart of Kahramanmaraş.

WE ARE HARD TO RECOVER IN 20 YEARS NOW AS WE ARE GOING

Saddle and saddle master Ali Özen: “Maraş is hard to come back. Because each citizen goes in one direction. I don’t think many who go will come back. Our work is done. We generally appeal to the rural population. What else will I do? The industrialist is in a difficult situation. Some of them go too. This job is hard to add up to 15-20 years. This was the busiest place in the country. Everybody from outside used to come here. It’s a bit difficult after this destruction. I’ve been doing this job for 50 years, I’m in this market. It’s my father’s job. Our family has been doing this for 200 years.
I was doing.”

Police and Afad purchases

Spicemaker İbrahim Taşdemir: “We have been the owners of the store for 15 years. Now we are selling by courier. In the past, our clients were tourists. Right now AFAD and police are coming to buy. It takes a year to recover here.”

we are open for a month

Leather shoe salesman Hakan Kopar: “Our workshop is in disrepair. We open and close the shop one day. We do crafts. Before the earthquake, the day becomes 2 even, the day becomes 20 even. In the past, residents from abroad used to come here. The tourists came. Now the Municipality of Mainland has opened up an opportunity for us. These are our products that will be sold at the fair. We’ve been open for a month.”

We have no hope this summer

Burak Salman, producer and seller of copperware: “We have been doing this business for 12 years. Our work is seasonal. We were waiting for the summer for sales, but unfortunately we have no hope. After the earthquake, the store’s goods were destroyed. We are already manufacturers. We had a warehouse in the industry. We have damage in production, not in our warehouse. We will bring two businesses together under one roof. We start production again in 15 days.”