(PLO) – The earthquake on February 6 posed a difficult problem for reconstruction in Turkey and left many lessons for preventing damage caused by earthquakes.
“The earthquake occurred in a large area, affecting 10 cities (Cities) of Turkey. Sadness is covering the whole country.” This is the comment of Ms. Cigdem Ustun – Associate Professor (PGS) Department of International Relations, University of Nişantaşı and Secretary General of the Center for Economic Research and Foreign Policy (EDAM) (Turkey) – sharing share with newspaper Law of Ho Chi Minh City (PLO) regarding the consequences of the earthquake on February 6.
Associated Archyde.com On February 19, it was reported that the number of people killed following the earthquake was more than 46,000 people and is expected to increase.
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An aerial photo shows earthquake damage in Hatay, Turkey. Photo: VCG |
Experts say it takes a lot of resources and time for reconstruction in Turkey. After the earthquake, concerns regarding why these two Middle Eastern countries were hit hard by earthquakes and how to reduce the damage caused by earthquakes was of great interest.
Reconstruction problem
Share with PLO Regarding the economic damage following the earthquake, Ms. Cigdem Ustun said that it was estimated that the earthquake caused regarding $ 84 billion in damage. At the same time, it will increase the economic burden on Turkey in general and its people in particular.
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Associate Professor Cigdem Ustun – Secretary General of the Center for Economic Research and Foreign Policy (EDAM) (Turkey). Photo: TWITTER |
According to Ms. Ustun, the earthquake area is a large area, and before the reconstruction work is completed, people in the affected areas are forced to seek shelter in neighboring cities. Accordingly, the demand for housing and jobs in the cities receiving migrants will increase.
According to the sheet The GuardianNeither Turkey nor Syria said how many people were still missing following the quake. In addition, thousands of people are living in makeshift camps and are dependent on aid.
However, the reconstruction work in the earthquake area is forecasted to face many difficulties because “Turkey is in a difficult economic period with increasing domestic inflation, unemployment rate and high unemployment rate. Youth employment is still at a high level (regarding 20%),” Ms. Ustun said.
In addition, according to Ms. Ustun, reconstruction work requires not only focusing on housing but also important infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings. These costs will increase the burden on the Turkish economy.
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People sit next to a destroyed building following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey. Photo: REUTERS |
On the evening of February 14, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a series of measures to support people affected by the earthquake. Accordingly, he pledged that within a year, Turkish authorities will build “safe and high-quality buildings” to meet housing needs in the earthquake-stricken area, the newspaper said. The Wall Street Journal news.
Erdogan also said the government would provide 100,000 lira (approximately $5,300) to the relatives of those killed in the earthquake to support urgent needs.
Share with PLO Regarding the reconstruction process in the affected area, Assoc. Ustun said that Turkish authorities have prioritized the development of the construction sector the most in the past 20 years. Therefore, the construction of new buildings is not a big deal, and new buildings can be built faster. However, the current concern is how people trust the quality of these buildings.
The sadness of the loss has spread throughout the country, the psychology of the Turkish people has been heavily affected
According to the sheet The Time, the earthquake created a new condition for both Turkey and Syria to rebuild buildings, redesign the affected areas. This can lead to better quality buildings and better distribution of infrastructure in these areas.
The site of the disaster is home to many refugees from Syria. Therefore, another issue of concern is how refugees from Syria in the affected area will be resettled and how will they be accommodated.
“Reconstruction efforts in affected areas must include measures to address the social impacts of this disaster,” she added.
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Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey, suffered significant damage in the earthquake. Photo: ANADOLU AGENCY |
Regarding people’s lives following the earthquake, Ms. Ustun said that the sadness of the loss has spread throughout the country, and the psychology of the Turkish people has been heavily affected.
“Domestic, people use personal social media accounts and online messaging software WhatsApp to call for help to people in affected areas. However, all these efforts are not enough, there needs to be a state-level organization to support people’s relief activities,” said Assoc. PLO.
On February 9, the World Bank pledged $1.78 billion to Turkey to help it recover from the disaster. On February 16, the United Nations also issued a call for a donation of 1 billion USD to Turkey.
Lessons to reduce damage caused by earthquakes
According to the station BBC, the Earth’s crust is made up of separate plates that lie next to each other, called tectonic plates. These plates often try to move but are prevented by friction with the adjacent plate. However, sometimes the increased pressure causes a plate to suddenly slide sideways and cause an earthquake.
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A person is rescued by rescuers in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey on February 16. Photo: ANADOLU AGENCY |
The cause of the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria was due to the Arab plate moving north and colliding with the Anatolian plate.
Turkey has long experienced strong earthquakes because it lies along tectonic plate boundaries. Over the past 25 years, Turkey has recorded seven earthquakes over 7 on the Richter scale. However, the earthquake on February 6 was one of the strongest and caused the most damage.
Share with PLOMs. Saskia Goes – Professor (GS) of Geophysics at Imperial College London (UK) – said that there are many causes leading to the great damage of the recent earthquake.
“Turkey recorded great damage because there were two strong earthquakes that happened next to each other, affecting a very large area. In addition, both of these earthquakes occurred near the surface, resulting in strong shaking,” said Prof Saskia Goes.
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Ms. Saskia Goes – Professor of Geophysics at Imperial College London (UK). Photo: ROYAL UNIVERSITY LONDON |
Radio CNN The shaking of the February 6 earthquake in southern Turkey might be felt as far as Israel and Lebanon, hundreds of kilometers away from the epicenter.
In addition, Professor Goes said: “The extent of damage depends not only on the intensity of the shaking, but also on the number of people living in the affected area. In the earthquake area, there are several large towns and a large number of people live. Besides, the damage also depends on how well the buildings are built to resist shaking. Unfortunately, most of the buildings in this area are not built to earthquake-resistant standards.”
Theo Archyde.com, an estimated 345,000 apartments in the earthquake area in Turkey have collapsed or severely damaged. After the earthquake, Turkish authorities executed more than 100 arrest warrants related to the construction of structures in the disaster-affected area.
The devastating damage in Turkey and Syria has also raised concerns regarding how to prevent and mitigate the effects of earthquakes, especially in the contiguous areas of tectonic plates.
However, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), we cannot prevent earthquakes from happening. Even so, we can significantly reduce their impact. Accordingly, this reduction is accomplished by identifying hazards, building safer structures, and providing information regarding earthquakes to residents.
Agreeing, Ms. Saskia Goes said that building buildings “so that they are less likely to collapse when shaking occurs” is an important factor in minimizing damage from earthquakes.
“This can make a huge difference in the number of casualties. However, this is a challenge as it will cost more to construct buildings to earthquake resistant building standards. Moreover, it is even more expensive to protect historic buildings to earthquake-resistant standards,” she said.
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Children participate in an activity to support mental health following the earthquake in Adiyaman, Turkey. Photo: REUTERS |
Professor Goes also recommended that authorities in earthquake-prone areas create emergency plans to promptly respond to disasters. This makes it possible for search and rescue efforts to take place as soon as possible and makes it easier to mobilize outside assistance if necessary.
In addition, people living in earthquake-prone areas should be equipped with the necessary knowledge to protect themselves.
“People should go outside if possible and move to an open area, away from where materials from falling buildings might be hit. If it is not possible to go out, please move to the strongest structural part of the building, or find shelter (under the table) so that falling objects do not hit people, “Professor Goes said. PLO.
Turkey-Syria earthquake: More than 46,000 people died, ending today’s rescue efforts
(PLO) – The death toll in an earthquake on the border of Turkey and Syria has surpassed 46,000. Turkish officials said rescue efforts would end today.
