The earthquake of the century increased the population of the neighborhood, which was 800, by 10 times.

In Hatay, which was devastated by the disaster of the century, citizens who did not leave their homeland flocked to Şenköy, one of the neighborhoods that survived the earthquake. The population of Şenköy, which was 800 before the earthquake, has now exceeded 8,000.

In Hatay, which was most affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, thousands of buildings and houses were destroyed, and approximately 25,000 people lost their lives. After the disaster of the century, when thousands of people were left homeless, some moved out of the city and some to different districts of the city. Citizens affected by the disaster who did not want to leave their homeland flocked to Şenköy Neighborhood in Yayladağı district, which is 20 kilometers away from Antakya. The total population of Şenköy Neighborhood, which had the highest loss on a neighborhood basis in the earthquake, was 800 before the earthquake, but now it has reached a total population of 8,000 with migrations. Sait Döş, the muhtar of Şenköy Neighborhood, which is the most populous neighborhood in Yayladağı district, said, "After the completion of the constructions with more than 500, I estimate that our population will exceed 10,000 this summer."

"THE POPULATION WILL EXCEED 10,000 THIS SUMMER"

Sait Döş, the muhtar of Şenköy Neighborhood, stated that there has been a rapid population increase after the earthquakes and said, "May Allah never let us experience the earthquakes of February 6 again. Our village was Şenköy Neighborhood, which had the most martyrs on a neighborhood basis and received the most migration. We have 63 houses damaged by earthquakes and they will be rebuilt now. Before the earthquake, we had a population of around 850. After the earthquake, with the villagers and fellow citizens who turned their summer houses back into homes, we now have a population of 7,900. We estimate that this number will exceed 10,000 this summer. Because the constructions made are a clear indicator of this. We have over 500 constructions in the neighborhood. With these, we will exceed 10,000 this summer. We have over 4,000 households in the neighborhood. Of course, this number is increasing day by day and will continue to increase. This village is a planned village and also a protected area. Therefore, people started to rebuild on their planned lands. This sometimes causes significant problems. Our neighborhood's roads, infrastructure, and superstructure cannot handle it. We need new roads and drinking water," he said.

"THE NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTIONS HAS ALSO EXCEEDED THOUSANDS"

Mehmet Melekoğlu, who moved to Şenköy Neighborhood for a new life after the earthquakes, stated that they took refuge in Şenköy after the earthquakes on February 6 and said, "Many people like me came here. Since I was one of the first to come, the population of the village was 800, but now it is around 9,000 to 10,000. We have really intensified this place. It can be seen that the population has increased significantly. I am one of the first to build a house here. When I counted in the early days, there were 260 constructions. I think the number of constructions has also exceeded thousands now," he said.