Quake Survivors Face Bitter Turkish Winter in Tents

Giving up hope of finding survivors 72 frigid hours after Friday's earthquake in Turkey, attention turned to finding shelter for those left homeless by the 7.2-magnitude temblor. With their houses reduced to rubble, thousands of people are huddling in tents, trying to stay warm during the subfreezing nights as the bitter Turkish winter descends on the region.

"It's finished. You can't find live people after 72 hours," said Belgian fireman Jean Paul Dezutter who left late Monday. Most of the international rescue teams were leaving Tuesday while others, joining Turkey's government, switched from rescue to relief.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assumed all coordination of international aid and assistance and correspondents say the government's response has been much faster than it was after August's quake, which killed 17,000 people.

After mobilizing some 4,000 soldiers, the Turkish Army is building a tent complex in Duzce's central park that will house 2,000 people. The tents are supposedly sturdy enough to withstand winter conditions.

But the need goes far beyond 2,000. Almost the entire Duzce population of 76,000 is camping out because their homes were destroyed or they are afraid to go back inside as aftershocks continue to rock the area. And at least 46,000 already were displaced by the August 17 tremors. In Kaynasli, also affected by Friday's temblor, UNICEF reports approximately 12,000 people are camping out.

The immediate need is to provide hot food, blankets, and shelter to the thousands of people living outside, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Turkish authorities said they were still in need of drinking water, beds, floodlights, generators, painkillers for children, X-ray machines, and surgical equipment.

The Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRC) immediately dispatched 1,300 winter tents, 6,500 mattress/blanket sets, and 2,000 field beds. Medicine is being distributed in Duzce to the three main hospitals in the area and to a TRC field hospital. TRC has also established four mobile feeding centers and has a capacity to provide up to 6,000 hot meals per day.

The American Red Cross is working with local aid workers to bring relief supplies to the affected areas and to assess the damage. Development is underway to provide longer-term technological assistance by computerizing the TRC warehousing systems and telecommunications.

President Clinton, in Turkey to attend an Istanbul summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, promised $1 billion in loans to help Turkey recover from the devastating quake that struck August 17. He'll meet survivors of the disaster on Tuesday as he tours the quake zone and visits the Dogukisla tent camp, which was established by the U.S. Marines and is home to about 6,000 people left homeless by the massive 7.4 temblor, which was centered in the town of Izmit.

Clinton said he was considering more aid for the latest quake as those left homeless face the freezing winter in tents. He said the U.S. military would deliver another 500 winterized tents to the earthquake zone, which would house 10,000 people.

But while some are camping in the area, many were afraid of new tremors and headed out of town as aftershocks jolted the region. People in Istanbul are also on edge. Newspaper reports say that the two recent quakes might have increased the likelihood of a big tremor near the sprawling city of 10 million.

The death toll from Friday's quake has risen to at least 547 with another 3,299 injured, according to the latest figures from the government crisis center. But hundreds are still missing and officials fear the number could rise sharply. The exact number dead may never be known as many families are thought to have burned the bodies of their loved ones immediately, according to Muslim tradition.

The massive earthquake estimated at 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Western Turkey at 6:57 p.m. on November 13. It was followed by at least three aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 5.0. The center of the quake was located in Duzce, about 115 miles east of Istanbul. Most serious physical damage is concentrated in Duzce and Kaynasli. In nearby Bolu, the quake set off explosions in some buildings and triggered fires.

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