Turkish President Admits ‘Shortcomings’ in Dealing With Earthquake Aftermath, Total Death Toll Passes 16,000

Aerial photo shows the destruction in Hatay city center, southern Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2023. The Canadian Press/AP, IHA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has acknowledged that there were issues with the ongoing earthquake relief efforts as he faces pressure over the government’s allegedly poor response to the crisis while the death toll from the tragedy nears 13,000 in the country.

“Of course, there are shortcomings. The conditions are clear to see. It’s not possible to be ready for a disaster like this,” Erdogan said on Feb. 7 while visiting Hatay, which has the highest death toll in the country, according to Sky News. “This is a time for unity, solidarity. I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest.”

Turkey’s death toll was at 12,873, according to officials. In Syria, 3,162 are thought to have died from the earthquake. Combined, the total deaths in the region come to 16,035.

People affected by the earthquake in southern Turkey have been battling freezing winter weather while waiting for the rescue of their family and friends.

While rescuers continue pulling out people from the rubble, many Turkish citizens are complaining about a lack of support, expertise, and equipment to rescue those still trapped.

“Where is the state? Where have they been for two days? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can get them out,” Sabiha Alinak, from the city of Malatya where her young relatives are still trapped, said to Reuters.

Unprepared Government

According to Nasuh Mahruki, founder of a search and rescue group, the army failed to act on time to respond to the earthquake as the Erdogan administration had annulled a protocol that earlier allowed it to act without instructions.

“In the first seconds (after the 1999 quake), the Turkish Armed Forces started to work and were on the scene with the people within hours,” he told Reuters. “Now, it seems the responsibility is with AFAD [Disaster and Emergency Management Authority], but it is not prepared for such a colossal problem.”

People are also angered at an “earthquake tax,” which was charged by Turkish authorities following the 1999 quake that was supposed to be spent on the development of emergency services and disaster prevention efforts.

The mounting anger of citizens places Erdogan under pressure as the country’s elections are just a few months ahead on May 14.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party who is expected to be a presidential candidate, blamed Erdogan for not preparing enough to deal with earthquake incidents.

“If there is one person responsible for this, it is Erdogan,” he said, according to BBC. Erdogan’s administration “has not prepared for an earthquake for 20 years.”

In the aftermath of the earthquake, Twitter was blocked in Turkey on Feb. 8, according to watchdog organization NetBlocks. However, access to Twitter is being restored per a tweet update by the organization.

The government reportedly justified blocking Twitter by citing alleged “disinformation” about earthquakes. People are said to be furious about Erdogan’s slow response to the crisis, with his visit to earthquake victims being seen by many as a PR stunt.

Impact On Elections, Economy

Political experts believe the earthquake will play a major role in Erdogan’s future in the upcoming elections, which will also have consequences for the country’s economy.

In an interview with CNBC, Mike Harris, founder of Cribstone Strategic Macro, said that there will be “backlash” if the Erdogan government’s rescue effort is mishandled and people get frustrated.

“And the other issue of course, is the buildings and which ones have gone down. To the extent these were built under the new codes and the authorities didn’t impose regulations, there could be some serious blowback for Erdogan. So, Erdogan’s lost control of the narrative.”

The earthquake forced the Turkish stock exchange Borsa Istanbul to suspend trading for the first time in 24 years. The shutdown followed a massive selloff that occurred in the aftermath of the quakes.

All trades made on Feb. 8 were canceled, with the exchange citing “unhealthy” price formation and low volumes for the cancellation. Trading is only set to resume next week on Feb. 15.

The Turkish GDP is expected to be negatively impacted by the quakes this year, while Ankara’s budget adds billions of dollars in additional spending to deal with the crisis.