The disastrousness of asylum: Syrian asylum seekers and their impact on disastrousness in the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes

Abstract

Purpose Turkey hosts the majority of Syrians who fled their country due to the Syrian Civil War that started in 2011, and Syrians mostly live in the provinces most affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the presence of disadvantaged population on disaster risk in Turkey, a disaster country, through the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes and Syrian asylum-seekers, based on the claim that the vulnerability caused by this additional population residing in the provinces most affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes is a factor that will increase the disastrousness of the earthquakes. Design/methodology/approach Based on the mathematical model used in the calculation of the Human Development Index, the study comparatively calculates the vulnerability of the Turkish and Syrian populations residing in the earthquake-affected provinces by taking into account population density, gender, age, education and employment factors. Findings The findings of the analysis show that the vulnerability of Syrian asylum seekers in Kilis, Gaziantep and Hatay provinces is higher than the vulnerability of the Turkish population. Originality/value This paper shows significant findings on the effects of disadvantaged groups residing in a disaster-prone area concerning the consequences of the devastating earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023 in the southern region of Turkey.