## 3 Current Situation Post-Kahramanmaras Earthquakes  
On 6 February 2023, two major earthquakes occurred in Kahramanmaras. The first earthquake, centered in Pazarcik, Kahramanmaras, had a magnitude of Mw 7.7, and it was recorded at 04:17 (01:17 UTC) local time. The second earthquake, with a magnitude of Mw 7.5, occurred in Elbistan, Kahramanmaras, on the same day at 13:24 (11:24 UTC) local time. In addition, an aftershock close to the first earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 6.7 occurred in Nurdaug, Gaziantep, at 04:28 (01:28 UTC). Aftershocks continued in the affected region for an extended period. The focal depths of the first and second earthquakes were 8.6 km and 7 km, respectively. Aftershocks with a magnitude as high as 6.5 occurred in both affected districts within 24 h of the initial earthquakes. Another earthquake, measuring Mw 6.4, took place in Yayladag, Hatay, on 20 February 2023 at 20:04 local time. These earthquakes, unprecedented in recent history with respect to their size and impact, caused extensive destruction in 11 Turkish provinces (Figure 2) [29; 32].  
In response to this incident, which has been termed the \"disaster of the century\", the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change carried out damage assessment studies in the regions in Kahramanmaras affected by the earthquakes, employing its own teams and university professors.  
By 6 March 2023, the damage assessment of 1,712,182 buildings in the 11 affected provinces was completed. According to the findings, it was determined that 35,355 buildings were destroyed, 17,491 buildings needed urgent demolition, 179,786 buildings were severely damaged, 40,228 buildings were moderately damaged, and 431,421 buildings were slightly damaged. Not only residences but also historical and cultural structures, schools, administrative buildings, hospitals, and hotels were destroyed or severely damaged. The earthquakes resulted in the loss of over 48,000 lives, damage to over 500,000 buildings and communication and energy structures, and significant financial losses (Figure 3).  
Figure 2: Region in Turkey affected by the earthquake.  
Almost 280,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, and the 11 affected provinces experienced substantial financial losses [33]. The general population in these regions generally lived in highly sensitive structures that were seismically sensitive, but there were also some resilient structures. With each earthquake and the resulting aftershocks, the structures in these regions continued to be damaged. The damaged buildings were mainly masonry and poor-quality concrete structures without ductility. According to the 2021 Building and Housing Characteristics Survey, the percentage of households living in buildings constructed in 1980 and earlier was 10% in the affected regions, while it was 12.6% in Turkey as a whole. However, in Adana, Hatay, and Kilis, this percentage was higher than the national average. In contrast, the proportion of households living in buildings built between 1981 and 2000 was 30.9% in Turkey as a whole and 27.6% in the 11 provinces. In Adana and Hatay, the rate of households living in buildings constructed during this period was higher than that for the overall population of Turkey. In contrast, the rate of households living in buildings constructed since 2001 was 47.4% in Turkey as a whole, while in the earthquake zone, this was 51.1%. In Adana, Hatay, and Kilis, however, this percentage was lower than the national average. This indicates that the buildings in Adana, Hatay, and Kilis were relatively old [33].