Displaced earthquake survivors living in a container city in Turkey’s eastern Elazığ province are facing eviction as authorities are in the process of repurposing the temporary shelter into a minimum-security prison complex, the Evrensel daily reported.
After an earthquake in Elazığ on January 24, 2020, and two earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, earthquake victims whose homes were damaged were placed in container cities. Many of those victims eventually started paying rent and have been living in container camps for five years.
The container city in Elazığ has been managed by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), which is now pressuring the residents to leave voluntarily.
While many families have found rental housing and vacated the containers, those who cannot afford rent and have no place to stay are now living in close quarters with prisoners.
One earthquake victim reported that makeshift fences were put up to separate the prisoners’ area from the families. Another resident said they would surely be evicted if they did not leave voluntarily but that they had no money or means to find housing.
“They’re telling us to leave as soon as possible and threatening to cut our electricity and water. They’re going to turn this place into a prison complex. But rent is expensive and there’s no work. We don’t receive any state aid to support ourselves, and we can’t afford the cost of living,” she said.
Camp resident Pınar Güler said she had been living in containers since the 2020 earthquake. “Now they are evicting us, but I can’t find a place to live. The places I can afford are uninhabitable. The decent ones are too expensive. I have no income. I don’t know what to do. I’m left stranded with my two children. I don’t have a husband. Everyone has united to force us out. We can’t rent a house.”
