The earthquake of two Mondays ago not only displaced Anatolia several meters, but also set in motion several exoduses at the same time. By land, sea and air, half a million displaced people from the ten most devastated provinces have already reached the metropolises of western Turkey. It's just the beginning.
On the other hand, half of the 3.5 million Syrian refugees in the country live in the affected area – larger in size and population than Andalusia or Portugal. For them, this vital second blow, coupled with the growing hostility of a part of the population, could accelerate the decision to leave Turkey, not necessarily back to Syria.
Foresightedly, three days after the earthquake, the European Union approved new measures to protect its borders and expedite returns.
After several days of shock and mourning, the tears in Turkish society are resurfacing. Emre (name changed) declares himself "disgusted" by some of the outbursts in his WhatsApp group, all of them opponents of the Islamo-Democratic government. "Some say that there has been a cleanup, because that part of Turkey is very conservative, a stronghold of Erdogan's AKP, and now it is also full of Syrians."
The HDP, the Kurdish revolutionary movement represented in Parliament, is also out of place. The only heavily affected Kurdish-majority province, Adiyaman, is ideologically at odds, being a stronghold of the AKP and cradle of fundamentalism.
From Adiyaman he arrived in Istanbul three days ago, after a journey "of 37 hours by bus", Atesh. Yesterday, Wednesday, with the earthquake still written on his face, he was touring the solidarity market in the Üsküdar district, together with his wife and his one-year-old son. At his disposal, hundreds of new coats, boots, baby bottles, shirts or diapers donated by businesses or individuals, in any of the "55 neighborhood donation centers".
A spokesperson explains how solidarity adapts to the exodus. On the one hand, "Üsküdar has already sent 80 trucks with help", mainly to a distribution center in Alexandretta.
But in the last three days, it has begun to distribute aid at its own municipal headquarters, from which "four thousand displaced people" would have benefited. From shirts to sacks of potatoes or lots of fruits and vegetables. "We do not provide accommodation, because those who come already have relatives or friends," he clarifies.
Just yesterday, a ship loaded with hundreds of evacuees from Hatay province docked in Istanbul. Many more have arrived in the large western cities by plane (237,240) or train (34,406), ticket-free. More than twice as much would have been done by bus.
In or near the devastated area there are a million victims housed in camps. One million two hundred thousand would be in residences and schools. In the short or medium term, all of them will have to be rehoused.
Erdogan has said that the reconstruction "of all houses, shops and companies" will begin in a few months and will conclude "in a year." He has also promised to pay the rent – up to the equivalent of 750 euros – until they have a roof again, as well as one hundred thousand lire (5,000 euros) to the relatives of each deceased.
In any case, they are only guaranteed accommodation if they go to the designated alternative province. That is where the suspicions begin, in a polarized country, where there should be elections within four months. "The AKP would be sending them to close constituencies, where seats will be decided by few votes, like Bursa or Istanbul," Emre speculates.
The head of the opposition, Kemal Kiliçdaroglu (CHP), yesterday accused the government of having "blood on its hands" and warned the Central Election Commission that any attempt to postpone the elections "would amount to a coup d'état".
A xenophobic politician, whose party's only program is to expel the Syrians and who this week hoped to fish in a troubled river, was rebuked – as a viral video shows – by a rescuer: “Here there are Turks and foreigners, Muslims and Christians. Why doesn't he pick up a pick and lend a hand?
Meanwhile, yesterday the trickle of "miraculous" rescues continued, such as that of a 74-year-old woman. But for every lucky case, more than 500 corpses are painfully recovered. There are already more than 40,000, between Turkey and Syria, and the WHO says that the number could double.
