The relationship betweeen earthquake and poverty: Disaster experience and preparedness processes in the slums of Van

Van, being located in Turkey's earthquake belt, has faced numerous earthquakes throughout history. These earthquakes have resulted in both loss of life and property damage. The Van earthquake in 2011, in particular, deeply affected the impoverished segments of the population. This earthquake resulted in loss of life, many injuries, and rendered many people homeless. People had to spend the winter months in tents. This study is a qualitative field research aiming to examine the pre-disaster preparedness processes, post-earthquake experiences, and how impoverished individuals living in low socio-economic neighborhoods in the city center of Van prepare based on these experiences, as well as how they interpret earthquakes and other natural events from a scientific perspective. In this context, strategies developed by the impoverished segments against disasters and the challenges they face in this process, such as accessing aid, accessing health services, nutrition opportunities, housing conditions, tent life, emergency plans, and community solidarity, have been examined in detail. The research utilized in-depth interviews with a total of 34 participants, including 28 married impoverished individuals who experienced the Van earthquakes and received assistance from social welfare and solidarity foundations, as well as 6 neighborhood muhtars (local leaders), to understand the effects of the earthquake on impoverished individuals and its reflections on social memory. The findings primarily focus on how communities in poverty prepare for earthquakes, their disaster experiences, and how they interpret earthquakes within their communities. According to the results of this study, impoverished communities struggle to take necessary precautions against disasters due to economic difficulties and often resign themselves to fate.