Albayrak Group, stating “It’s time to heal the wounds with the spirit of mobilization,” rushed to the earthquake-stricken area without wasting time. Throughout the entire process, the Group worked in unison with Turkish Red Crescent Association, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Ministry of National Defense (MSB), Gendarmerie, and the people. Companies under the Group, such as Albayrak Construction, Albayrak Media, Trabzon Port, TÜMOSAN, Sukkar Sugar, Kademe, Vogel, Albil, Ağa Maden, Mezra Agriculture, Nakil Logistics, Ereğli Textile, Platform Tourism, and Varaka, provided significant support in this mobilization.

Albayrak Volunteers organized various activities on February 5th in the container city in Hatay, Kırıkhan, to bring joy and help children overcome trauma. Puppet shows, console games, and awareness-raising activities were among the events organized for the children.

Albayrak Group established Container Cities in Hatay and Gaziantep

Albayrak Group not only addressed the earthquake process but also, in preparation for the ongoing aftermath, contributed a total of 206,083,044 ₺ in financial aid. In line with supporting the state and the people in the crucial issue of housing, especially after the collapse of buildings, the Group, within the scope of Albayrak Construction activities, implemented the “Container City Project” in Hatay Kırıkhan and Gaziantep Nurdağı. The project includes a total of 1050 containers, along with facilities such as mosques, prayer rooms, a 12-classroom school, a children’s education center, a cafeteria, children and youth workshops, activity areas, and parks.

Ahmet Albayrak, Chairman of the Board of Albayrak Group, who participated in earthquake housing construction at the age of 14 during the Pülümür earthquake in 1967, stated, “When the 1939 Erzincan earthquake occurred, our grandfather was there to help the people. In the 6th of February, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake, we were there to help again. On the second day of the earthquake, we decided to establish a Container City. Our colleagues and volunteers were already rushing to the earthquake zone. As you can see, this reflex is a mission inherited from our Group’s history. While carrying out all these aids without expecting anything in return, our greatest strength comes from the historical mission of our group and the sacrifices of our colleagues,” he said.

Psychosocial Support Continues for Earthquake-Affected Children in the Container City

Unfortunately, the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş most affected children. Numerous social responsibility projects were implemented from the first day of the earthquake to provide psychosocial support for children who lost family members, were separated from their schools and friends. Albayrak Group, along with its volunteers, increased its assistance and support since the first day of the earthquake. On February 5th, in Hatay, Kırıkhan’s Container City, they organized a series of events to provide psychosocial support for children.

Prominent brands of the Group, Ketebe Çocuk, GZT, and the Group’s volunteers came together with children. Volunteers, who provided psychosocial support to 1457 children through 220 activities in the past year in collaboration with Yeşilay through the “My Club Yeşilay Truck” event, added another project with this initiative.

Albayrak Group in the Earthquake Zone with All Its Brands

With the contributions of all its companies, Albayrak Group aimed to heal the wounds of our citizens with 7 trucks containing 640,059 clothing packages, 20,000 textile products, 8 trucks and 4 minibuses with food and hygiene kits, 10 trucks of household items, 4 mobile kitchens, 6 mobile toilets, 104 containers and tents, 5000 food packages, 575 barrel stoves, 375 tons of sugar, 11 trucks with 214,940 kg of animal feed, 10 tons of fuel (wood), 10 containers with 23,534 household items, 108 trucks for transportation, and 73 buses and minibuses for passenger transfer.

In addition to the Container City Project, the Group also took action with Ereğli Textile company in the early moments of the earthquake. Ereğli Textile, which covers 40% of the clothing needs of the Turkish Armed Forces, sounded the red alert for the disaster area based on its experience. Starting rapidly production of tents in line with AFAD’s urgent tent orders, Ereğli Textile maximized its capabilities, working around the clock in shifts, and delivered 60,000 ready-to-use tents to AFAD.

Nakil Logistics and Platform Tourism utilized their expertise and resources in the tourism transportation sector for the earthquake zone. More than 80 trucks, 70 buses, and minibuses hit the road for the transfer of aid and volunteer teams.

No Tolerance for Disinformation

Obtaining accurate information from the first moments of the Disaster of the Century to ensure correct disaster communication was almost impossible. In the following hours, disinformation efforts by earthquake opportunists were witnessed.

Albayrak Media’s flagship outlets, Yeni Şafak, TVNET, GZT, and all press and broadcast brands, not only supported critical disaster communication but also set up a barrier against disinformation during the earthquake process.

Service to the People is Service to the Divine

In addition to all financial aid, Albayrak Group, with its psychosocial and volunteer-based activities, took its place in the earthquake zone. From the very beginning of the earthquake, the Group supported search and rescue operations with 83 volunteers and operators.

Expressing the spiritual dimension of this entire process, Ahmet Albayrak, Chairman of Albayrak Group, said, “As Albayrak Group, we started our efforts to heal the wounds and support the region from the first moments of the Disaster of the Century. Serving the people is also serving the divine, so we reached the earthquake zones with all our capabilities for our state and our nation in a self-sacrificing manner. This was equivalent to a patriotic duty for us. It is said, ‘Your competition is in goodness,’ and we followed this command without any hesitation,” he said.