The role of the gendarmerie in disasters: The case of the February 06 Kahramanmaraş earthquake

All disasters, regardless of their source, cause material and moral loss. In Türkiye, which has had quite painful experiences with disasters, has carried out various studies on disaster management from the past to the present and a new chapter began with the establishment of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency in 2009. The Türkiye Disaster Response Plan, which has been prepared and put into effect, is a detailed plan that outlines the tasks and procedures to be carried out after a disaster. In this plan, which covers various topics, the main partner of the Evacuation and Relocation Group is the Gendarmerie General Command on behalf of the Ministry of Interior. The Gendarmerie carries out its civil, judicial, and military duties within the framework of the Law on the Organization, Duties, and Powers of the Gendarmerie No. 2803. Ensuring public order and security and performing search and rescue duties fall within the scope of civil duties. This study examines the conceptual framework related to the concept of disaster in detail, addresses the process of change in disaster management, and explains the activities carried out by the Gendarmerie in recent disasters in Turkey. The main subject of the study, the February 6 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake, and all the activities carried out after this earthquake are explained in detail in the last section. This section also includes interviews with Gendarmerie personnel who served in the disaster area after the earthquake. In conclusion, this study is considered to be of particular importance as it will assist in future studies on the February 6 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake, described as the greatest disaster of the century, and because it covers the experiences of those who served after the disaster.