In the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquakes, settlements located near the earthquake zone including Bingöl, Kayseri, Mardin, Tunceli, Niğde and Batman, have been tagged with the "Disaster Areas Affecting General Life" status.
Under this status, cities will benefit from state subsidies where the state compensates for all financial losses and offers updates if buildings are to be demolished or evacuated are conveyed to the owners. The owners have the right to appeal decisions within three days.
In line with the 1999 Marmara earthquake, the Turkish Parliament passed Law No. 5902 in 2009 to form the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) under the Prime Ministry and abolish various agencies under whose jurisdiction the issue previously fell.
The AFAD is an institution working to prevent disasters and minimize disaster-related damages, plan and coordinate the post-disaster response, and promote cooperation among various government agencies.
In this regard, the AFAD introduced a novel disaster management model that prioritizes Türkiye's transition from crisis management to risk management, which came to be known as the Integrated Disaster Management System.
The new status in the southeast is a result of the catastrophic 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes – nine hours apart – that struck the southeastern region of Türkiye and neighboring Syria on Feb. 6. The tremors claimed 50,096 lives, razed thousands of buildings and inflicted severe infrastructural damage.
