Psycho-Social Evaluations for Earthquake Victims Migrating to Samsun Province After the February 6 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

Abstract

It can be said that earthquakes, as one of the natural disasters, cause permanent changes in a wide range of areas and contexts, especially the people who experience them. Many elements like loss of life, injuries, housing and infrastructure damage, economic losses and family disintegration, loss of education and health opportunities, and psychological components occur together, making the earthquake's impact quite wide. This study, which is about the psycho -social changes experienced by earthquake victims after the February 6 Kahramanmaras earthquake, focuses primarily on the effects of the earthquake on the displacement process. Although the earthquake appears as a physical (natural) event related to nature, the social and psychological impact has a broader context. With the relocation process, problems arise at both the psychological and social relations levels regarding adaptation conditions, such as moving to a different city, establishing a new environment there, the roles of NGOs in the process, and psychological support services. For individuals who experience an earthquake disaster, issues such as how the effects of the earthquake are manifested religiously and how religion is used functionally in this process become essential for individuals in terms of coping with disasters, rebuilding life, and ensuring the continuity of life. Earthquake victims who move to another city to overcome the problems they face in the region they live in are more likely to encounter many new issues in cultural, economic, psychological and social terms in the new areas they settle in. This situation makes it essential to provide different relationships and support networks in the settlement region, thus making the role of religious NGOs and spiritual consultants in the process a critical position.