After the earthquake in Turkey: does the whole village have to move?

Damlacik is a small Turkish village. Only piles of rubble remain of around 20 houses. Now there are rumors that the village should move to safer ground.

All that remains of Mustafa’s house is a pile of rubble. Construction machines dig through the rubble. The 24-year-old explained that they were looking for the money, gold and other valuables belonging to the family. They’ve found a little. His brother was injured in the earthquake, he says, and the rest of his family is okay.

Mustafa is a farmer, he had 400 sheep – almost half of them that were in the stable under the house are dead. Community workers come shortly after the earthquake and help to salvage and bury them because of the risk of epidemics.

The slim man with the light brown beard shrugs his shoulders helplessly. The animals, the farm – that was his existence.

The village should probably move uphill

Well, he says, the house will be moved upstairs – that’s what it’s called. Mustafa explains: “We will not rebuild it ourselves. They say the state will do it.” The ground in the village is not stable – “and up there there is land from the state”. The village will be moved there – the village chief said so. “We’ll see,” says Mustafa.

A black minibus rolls onto the property – six or seven men in dark coats get out. Mustafa apologizes and explains that one of the men is the mayor and that he must receive him. Everyone disappears into a shack.

Only one man, the press spokesman, who came to the village with us, stays outside and checks our work permits. We ask for an interview – no answer. Shortly thereafter, the men drive away in the minibus.

Mustafa’s uncle Hüsein is angry. He grumbles: “They asked for your press tickets right away, right? And what else did they do here? Nothing. We have to take care of ourselves.”

His young nephew is more cautious: the men brought groceries for the family and asked about his injured brother, he explains soberly.

A house without a facade

Down in the village next to the mosque is Ökkes’ house – or what’s left of it. The facade is missing, you look straight into a room with shelves and curtains in front of it. The 60-year-old points to the walls that withstood the earthquake: “It’s all from my grandfather. It’s 150 years old. It’s still there.”

He also explains that at that time people built with thick walls – when they built later, there was not good material. “That’s why everything is destroyed now,” he adds.

Ökkes stayed with relatives in the neighboring village. He just wants to make sure things are going well here in Damlacik. There he meets his friend Sayyid. The 62-year-old is concerned with the rumor that the whole village is moving. He is certain: “Geologists will decide on that. They have to come and check whether this is earthquake-proof.”

He couldn’t say anything about that: “We’re waiting,” he says. He puts his hands in the pockets of his trousers, which are much too wide. Sayyid also heard about the state property. He says: “500 to 600 meters further up there is free land that belongs to the state. The ground is very stable there because it is rocky ground”.

“Where else should I go?”

That’s where you would go. But he has his country here, his belongings – everything. “Where else should I go? Let’s say they would send me somewhere else from here. What should I do then?” he adds.

Sayyid also holds back with criticism. Admittedly, Sayyid doesn’t really want to understand all of this. His house is no longer habitable. Like some others, he moved into the school building. It’s only two years old and safe, he explains.

Sayyid believes: “If you built good houses here, nothing would happen.” He points to an intact house and explains: “It’s newly built out of concrete and steel. It’s earthquake-proof, it didn’t even get a scratch – just like the house over there.”

He points to a house across from Ökkess ruins. A flock of geese walks in front of it, chickens climb over the rubble at the roadside.

Around 500 euros in emergency aid – not enough for a new house

In the evenings, when they get together in the school building and mourn the dead, they also talk about a possible move in their village, the men say. On the one hand, they’re attached to all of this. On the other hand – if the state really builds them an earthquake-proof house nearby, why not?

So far, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced 10,000 lira in emergency aid, which is around 500 euros. You can’t get a new house for that in Turkey either.

Mustafa, the young farmer, looks lost over a large green plain that stretches to the mountains in the background. Directly below his property are two houses of relatives without much damage. Mustafa doesn’t want to show any feelings. He announces:

When and where? Two weeks after the earthquake, it is probably still too early for answers.