Altınbaş University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Head of Civil Engineering Department Assoc. Dr. After the Marmara Earthquake that occurred 23 years ago, Sepanta Naimi discussed the importance to be taken for the earthquake in 7 items.
Altınbaş University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Head of Civil Engineering Department Assoc. Dr. Sepanta Naimi made a statement about the 17 August 1999 Marmara Earthquake, the epicenter of which was the Gölcük district of Kocaeli, and evaluated what had been done in the past 23 years.
17 years have passed since the 1999 August 23 Marmara Earthquake, the epicenter of which was the Gölcük district of Kocaeli. According to official figures, 18 thousand 373 people lost their lives and 48 thousand 901 people were injured in the earthquake. Another 5 people disappeared.
Assoc. Dr. Naimi underlined that the earthquake was not actually a disaster, but just a natural event. However, he stated that this natural event turned into a disaster with misapplication and construction. He stated that all the studies on the earthquake in Istanbul so far have been insufficient in the face of irregular construction and uncontrolled population growth. “Earthquake is insidious, it will not let us know, we must always be ready.” said.
“Too much old and Unchecked Building stock is a problem”
Reminding that the Istanbul earthquake is expected to be 7 magnitude and above, he stated that the most important problem is the old and uncontrolled buildings. Emphasizing that the buildings built before 2000 are a great threat, Assoc. Dr. Naimi said, “Although these buildings are tried to be renewed under the name of urban transformation, the state should increase its support and quickly inspect the existing building stock. It should urgently strengthen or transform fragile buildings,” he suggested.
“Projects made as Urban Transformation do not untie the knot”
Assoc. Dr. Naimi pointed out that the works carried out as Urban Transformation are only structural transformations and that they are insufficient to untie the knots of the city. He pointed out that the unplanned urban transformation without considering the earthquake risk increased the population of the region. He said that these practices only serve to increase the safety of that building and cannot solve the general earthquake problem of the city.
“Earthquake Assembly Areas will not be accessible due to heavy traffic”
Assoc. Dr. Naimi stated that according to the statistics given by AFAD in recent years, the number of assembly areas has exceeded 2020 after 3000. Assoc. Dr. According to Naimi, it is a big risk that the roads leading to these areas are narrow and between the streets. Stating that the traffic density that will occur after the earthquake is not taken into account, Assoc. Dr. Naimi stated that this situation will make helping the earthquake victims seriously difficult.
“The destruction of natural disaster containers”
Pointing out that another life-saving issue is 'Natural Disaster Containers', Naimi said that after a possible earthquake, humanitarian aid, medicine and food supply will be very important. He emphasized that it is essential to plan these containers according to the population of the region, but that enough work has not been done in this regard for Istanbul.
“Inspection of buildings during construction reduces earthquake load”
Naimi suggested that the buildings be inspected continuously at certain intervals during the construction phase and said, “The construction sites should be technically inspected at certain intervals and continuously by the Provincial Directorates of Municipality and Environment. This both prevents negligence and the use of missing materials and reduces the loss of life in the event of an earthquake.” said.
“How secure is the infrastructure of the city?”
Assoc. Dr. Naimi also reminded that in the September 26, 2019, 5,8 magnitude Istanbul earthquake, the telecommunication infrastructure was out of service and communication chaos was experienced. He determined that if key areas such as the city's electricity network, natural gas network, drinking water network, sewerage, roads and bridges are damaged, the impact of the earthquake will aggravate in an unpredictable way. Stating that the work of the rescue teams will also become more difficult, Naimi said, “A solid infrastructure is a must for a city. It is necessary to ensure the earthquake safety of these areas,” he said.
“Knowing what to do in an earthquake saves lives.”
Stating that we sometimes forget that we are a country in an earthquake zone, Naimi emphasized that training should be given on how to behave during and after an earthquake. Finally, Naimi said, “Frequent information should be given about the earthquake and exercises should be organized. Children should be taught how to behave during an earthquake with earthquake simulators. The new generation must learn to act rationally during an earthquake without panic. In-house arrangements (such as fixing furniture, etc.) should also be made by considering the earthquake risk.” expressed his suggestions.
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