The earthquakes with their epicenter in Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş on February 6th affected also the provinces of Kahramanmaraş, Malatya, Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana, Kilis, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa and Osmaniye.
The Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (UMT) immediately established a crisis desk and started working in the coordination with the Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD) of the Ministry of Interior to contacted the local administrators in the provinces and districts affected by the earthquake disaster and provide assistance to the affected area.
UMT, which is in constant communication with local authorities within the country, also forwards offers of the assistance and cooperation from local authorities abroad to relevant institutions and organizations.
UMT communication support has been provided in the coordination of the Union of Turkish Municipalities of Cyprus (Kıbrıs Türk Belediyeler Birliği / KTBB), formed a support fleet of construction equipment for the disaster area, with AFAD. KTBB support reached Hatay province.
The Union of Azerbaijan Municipalities contacted to UMT on the first day of the disaster, sharing information that the Azerbaijan search and rescue team had set out and that they were following the process as the Union.
UMT, which carries out working for to the delivery of humanitarian aid and the construction equipment, belonging to the municipalities, to be used in rescue works, contacted local authorities and organized the accommodation of the JICA 72-person search and rescue team of the Japanese Development Agency (JICA), came to Elbistan with 70 tons of rescue equipment.
The arrival of 2 4x4 vehicles, 1 aid van and 6 firefighters, sent from the Gostivar Municipality of the Republic of North Macedonia to Adana was also carried out under the coordination of the UMT.
The list of urgent needs published by AFAD was delivered through UMT to the Unions of Municipalities of France and Greece, stated that they would make a call to all municipalities in the country for urgent needs.
The National Secretariat Representatives of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye, accompanied by the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Türkiye to the Council of Europe, met with the President and Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Local and Regional Governments Congress (Congress) in Strasbourg to discuss aid processes in the upcoming period.
The United Cities and Local Governments Disaster Management Committee, of which UMT is a member, will establish a solidarity fund to support post-earthquake reconstruction activities.
In addition, the United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Regional Organization (UCLG-MEWA), European Union of Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Austrian Association of Cities and Towns, National Association of Italian Municipalities and UK Local Government Association also conveyed their condolences to Türkiye through UMT.