Assessing the Perceived Serious Needs of People Affected by the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake in Türkiye

Authors : Nilgün Kuru Alıcı, Nilüfer Kuru, Bilge Kalanlar

Pages : 81-89

View : 68 | Download : 47

Publication Date : 2025-07-16

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :After an earthquake, evaluating human needs, protecting lives, optimizing resource distribution, and ensuring a well-coordinated and effective intervention for natural disaster emergencies are crucial. On February 6, 2023, Türkiye was struck by two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6. The aim of this study is to identify the perceived vital needs of individuals affected by the earthquake in Türkiye using the Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived Needs Scale (HESPER). This descriptive, cross-sectional study is part of the QuakeCare Project, which was conducted in collaboration with Yenimahalle Municipality and Hacettepe University to assess the perceived health needs of individuals affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. The study was completed with 245 individuals affected by the earthquake. In the early post-earthquake phase, coping with distress, access to aid, and income or livelihood were identified as the three most reported needs by the affected individuals. The study emphasized the importance of humanitarian organizations, governments, and NGOs targeting affected regions and delivering assistance promptly.
Keywords : İnsani yardım, Doğal afet, ihtiyaç değerlendirme, HESPER, deprem

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