Some 200,000 quake survivors remained camped out in parks and on vacant lots, and for the second night they were drenched with heavy rains. The tremor sent Ankara residents running into the streets in panic. A Dutch group said it would send 30,000 prefabricated shelters designed to withstand quakes and winter cold, and the United States plans to send 3,500 all-weather tents. Tent cities now dot the landscape, and the government continues to appeal for blankets, bulldozers, and building materials. The emotional effects of the massive quake are evident.
Children sleep lightly, often awaking in terror from nightmares.
For many, the uncertainty of not knowing how long they will be living in crowded camps has added to the misery of their situation. The government early Wednesday revised the quake death toll downward by some 5,500 to 12,514, saying the confirmed deaths in the industrial city of Izmit were far fewer than previously announced. An official at the government's crisis center in Ankara, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a mistake had been made while entering data from Izmit into a computer. Still, some officials estimate the final death toll eventually could reach 40,000. Thousands of people may still be buried beneath the rubble.