The earthquake damage in Turkey is estimated to be more than $100bn

An official from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has estimated that the damage from the deadly earthquakes that struck Turkey last month will surpass $100 billion. The World Bank had previously assessed the direct damage in Turkey to be $34.2 billion, but it now predicts substantially higher cost for recovery and reconstruction. In this amount, should be added the losses to Turkey's gross domestic product due to the quakes' effects on the country's economy.

The earthquakes of February 6 killed more than 52,000 people in southern Turkey and northwest Syria while several people were buried or crushed as they slept. According to Turkish government statistics, about two million survivors have been relocated to temporary housing or have been evacuated from the earthquake-devastated area. Furthermore, a total of 46,000 people have been relocated to container homes, and approximately 1.5 million people are residing in tents. The administration claims that others are residing in guesthouses and dormitories.

The provisional damage estimate, which, according to UNDP's Louisa Vinton, solely includes Turkey, is the basis for a donor meeting to raise money for survivors and reconstruction on March 16 in Brussels. According to Vinton, the Turkish government had estimated higher damage with the aid of the UNDP, the World Bank, and the European Union. This estimate would serve as the basis for the recovery and reconstruction donor conference taking place the following week, she said.

Recovery costs will clearly exceed that amount, she added, since building improvement and more environmentally friendly infrastructure are included. The worst-hit province of Turkey, Hatay, was characterized by Vinton as having "apocalyptic" scenes and having hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed.