RESIDENZA LIMITATA

Fotografie di Giuseppe Scianna

I riflettori mediatici vanno spegnendosi sulle infinte macerie di Hatay, una delle provincie turche più colpite in assoluto.
Queste regioni sono abitate da circa quattro milioni di persone, sfollate nei vari comuni e da altre parti del paese, che vivono spesso in insediamenti improvvisati privi di ogni tipo di assistenza sanitaria. Una buona parte della popolazione non avendo accesso ai servizi igienici, vivono in strutture inadeguate. Gli aiuti mensili dello stato non garantiscono un pasto al giorno, colpa anche dell’inflazione della lira turca aumentata drasticamente. La gente continua ininterrottamente a recuperare quel che resta della propria abitazione, non esiste più il giorno e la notte a causa del lavoro infinito di demolizione di case che ammonta a circa 300 mila strutture.

A family returns to their tent after buying food. There is widespread fear that the rubble carries disease as it may still conceal remains of human bodies. Antioch in the province of Hatay. 2023
Kilometer-long rows of trucks relentlessly dump tons of rubble at so-called material collection points, irreversibly transforming the morphology of the rural land around former settlements. Antioch, Hatay province. 2023
Sevcan inside her old room. She is a 39-year-old woman who lives in the Ekinci district inhabited by about 10,000 people located within the city of Antioch. This is the first time she has entered her room since that night of the earthquake to salvage what she could. Living with her family and two other sisters, she has now found accommodation in a tent not far from her old home.
Detail of a kitchen. Tavla 2023.
There were a total of four schools in Ekinci district, one collapsed and the other three are not being used for safety reasons. Tents have been set up in their courtyards to house classes so as not to stop first-level education. It is not uncommon to find many mothers staying during classes because their children, after the trauma of the earthquake, cannot be separated from them for long. Ekinci 2023
Street Scenes. Ekinci 2023
Çerman inside his small car wash. He lost his house entirely. Now his job is at risk because the car wash's structure is not in perfect condition, but he cannot give up his job because of the big crisis. The monthly state aid is very little and does not guarantee meals every day.
Lunch inside an ironworks. Iron has become a much sought-after material for many people because it is considered very durable and safe. Large quantities are imported every day, especially from Adana and Istanbul, to meet the demands throughout Antioch. The owners work non-stop to meet the huge demand.
Boulem inspects the property of some residents in the village of Tavla. He is a civil engineer from Adana who has volunteered to inspect many houses with suitable instruments to ascertain the fitness of the structures. There are many, indeed almost all, one- and two-storey single-family structures that have suffered visible damage, with more or less large cracks, to which the residents do not want to return, largely because they fear further tremors. The government has sent the military engineer to check but apparently the tendency has been to underestimate the damage, probably to reduce the economic exposure for reconstruction subsidies. Owners of condemned or heavily damaged structures will be reimbursed 60 per cent of the cost by the state, and the remaining 40 per cent will be eligible for a 20-year interest-free loan. Tavla 2023.
Dozens of large work machines across the city continue to demolish heavily damaged buildings one after another, day and night. Some people have begun to have breathing problems because of the emanating dust.
Ahmed and Treves tries to salvage what he can from what remains of his home. There is often little time because the Turkish state is advancing in the demolition of unsafe buildings.. Ekinci 2023.
The biggest problem concerns access to toilets; the communal facilities are inaccessible to people with poor or no mobility. Unable to go to the latrines, many people with disabilities have to get help from caregivers or depend on diaper supplies. Tavla 2023.
Two brothers embrace after feeling another earthquake tremor outside school
Ragazzi dentro il distretto di ekinci.
Ahmed is on his way to his old home to try to salvage what he can from what remains. Often there is not much time because the Turkish state is advancing in the demolition of unsafe buildings.. Ekinci 2023.
Street scenes Serynol
A family after losing everything leaves its old town.