“Adana Earthquake Action Plan Working Meeting” was held in cooperation with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), Adana Metropolitan Municipality and Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA). Moderated by Prof. Dr. Tarık Şengül's "Earthquake Resistant City Guided by Science" panel; prof. Dr. Alper İlki, Prof. Dr. Bahar Yetis, Prof. Dr. Baris Binici, Prof. Dr. Ebru Voyvoda, Prof. Dr. Kayihan Pala, Prof. Dr. Murat Şeker, Prof. Dr. Naci Görür and Prof. Dr. Suleiman Pampal joined. The opening speeches of the meeting held in Adana, one of the cities affected by the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, were delivered by the Mayor of IMM. Ekrem İmamoğlu and Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar.
“SOLIDARITY AND SHARING OVER EVERY EMOTION”
Emphasizing that they are the managers responsible for detecting the problems to be experienced before, during and after possible disasters and taking the necessary precautions, İmamoğlu said, “No one who is kneaded in the culture of these lands expects a thank you for such works. There are disasters, destruction and loss in these lands. Political calculations come to an end, we are together with those who are stuck and lost, unconditionally. Solidarity and sharing take precedence over every emotion. That's why we were in the region because it was our duty and responsibility. That's why we were in Istanbul with our President Zeydan for the analysis and analysis of the process. That's why we are here today. We are in Adana. We will bandage the wounds. We will share the pain. We will never allow anyone who has been harmed to be victimized or forgotten.” Stating that his responsibilities do not end at this point, İmamoğlu said, “We have other responsibilities towards our millions of citizens who elected us as the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality. For example, we respond to our citizens' concerns about the earthquake in a realistic way, never to mislead or manipulate them, not to save the day, but to build the future in a healthy way; We are facing it,” he said.
Saying, "One of the worst things that can happen to a politician is to lose his trust relationship with the society he is responsible for," İmamoğlu said, "May Allah never let any ruler or politician experience such a thing. Therefore, if you are a real manager, if you are a moral, honest manager, you can never bend the facts to relieve anxiety. That's why we didn't twist the facts, we didn't hide them and we will never do that. Whatever the situation is, we will share it so that we can produce solutions together. But we did not and will not allow anyone to take advantage of the conditions in our society in a malicious and irresponsible way," he said. Pointing out that making cities resistant to earthquakes and disasters in the light of science is also the responsibility of the administrator, İmamoğlu said, “Just yesterday, there was a flood and we had to lose our people in Şanlıurfa because of a new infrastructure mechanism. Sometimes yes, you may not be able to achieve the impossible in a disaster. But when you blatantly lose lives, it's really the responsibility of the directors or the producers, the administrators. This must be followed. If we walk together with the central administration, local administration, all public administrators, on the path drawn by science, we will not experience anything that has happened. We will do whatever it takes to achieve this. Whatever price has to be paid, we will pay it. Whoever we need to convince, we will convince. You will see who we have to fight against, we will fight them without blinking our eyes," he said.
“WE PROMISE FROM ADANA, IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL OF YOU…”
Emphasizing the sadness of meeting the year 2023, the beginning of the second century of the Republic, with earthquakes and disasters, İmamoğlu said:
“The Kahramanmaraş earthquake should be a milestone on behalf of all of us, on behalf of managerial responsibility, personality and identity, in order to become a citizen in this country; will be. We said the same things for the 99 earthquake. We said, 'It will be a milestone'. But it couldn't, we couldn't. We could not show the necessary resistance. Let's sit crooked, talk straight. We could not take the necessary steps. Although almost 24 years have passed, we have not been able to take the necessary measures. Necessary arrangements were not made. If these had been done that day, I claim that we would not have lost so many of our people in this earthquake, in which at least 50 thousand of our people died. There would be no such economic destruction. There would be no worries today. Therefore, we make a promise in the presence of all of you from Adana. As long as we are in our duties, we will never allow such an environment to live in our country, nation and cities. We would very much like 2023 to be the 100th year that we will meet with the highest level of development together. But we couldn't do that. Then we can achieve something else. We can start 2023 as a very important year of responsibility and a milestone in the fight against disasters and destruction.”
“ONLY BUILDING REINFORCEMENT IS THE IMM'S 5-YEAR BUDGET”
Emphasizing that this can be achieved not only with the efforts of local governments, but also with the cooperation of citizens, the state and relevant institutions and organizations, İmamoğlu said, “My friends calculated. The only resource required for building reinforcement in Istanbul is, with the most optimistic calculations, about the 5-year budget of our Metropolitan Municipality. In other words, let's not do any work, let's not even pay salaries to our employees, even if we transfer all of our resources to strengthen them for 4-5 years, it is not enough. So the picture is clear and clear. It is obvious that none of our cities under the threat of earthquakes, especially Istanbul, cannot solve this vital problem with local resources and the resources of municipalities. It is stated that the financial loss of our country in the Kahramanmaraş earthquake is around 100 billion dollars. In other words, we are talking about one-eighth of Turkey's gross national product. Eliminating such a huge economic loss is not an issue for local governments to solve," he said.
“TOKİ” CRITICISM: “POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS BRING RENTAL TO THE PROMISE”
Pointing out that housing production is entirely the responsibility of local governments in many countries, İmamoğlu said:
“In Turkey, TOKİ, which has continued its formation by completely distancing itself from the local government and has become an instrument of the central government, is responsible for this area. It is wrong. In the past, public lands, military areas, and in some cases pastures were placed at the disposal of this institution in order to facilitate and cheapen housing production. So what was the result? Unfortunately it didn't. Unfortunately, political and commercial calculations brought rent to the fore, and unfortunately, these issues such as the earthquake and social housing were tangentially. Disaster-oriented regulations and laws were also not friendly to local governments, and they alienated institutions from cooperation. We've all been there, we know. The past period was not on good terms with the concept of urban transformation. It has driven our people away from this concept. It was tried to be implemented as a means of gaining rent and power, largely in the hands of the central government. There is an example of Fikirtepe in Istanbul. Believe me, it's an urban disaster. By a cabinet decision, strategic areas, important land and urban real estates in cities were turned into places where the central government is authorized. Municipalities were not even allowed to hammer nails here. While all this was being done, the political disintegration was unfortunately felt in our institutions at the highest dose. After all; The mayors and assemblies, who took office with the vote of the people, were unfortunately prevented from addressing and solving problems in their cities, especially earthquakes and disasters, and producing solutions, and the system evolved in a different direction.”
“CITIES SHOULD NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED AS AN RANGE RENEWING AREA”
Noting that despite the obstacles they face, they continue to do their duties effectively without making excuses, İmamoğlu said, "Neither the central government nor local governments should be allowed to see cities as an area of rent-earning any longer, and I promise before all of you that we will not do so in this regard. For example; The public resources, loans, debts used for Istanbul in the past period were used for some projects whose service is unknown. If these resources were used for disaster-oriented projects, not for projects that are built in unstructured areas and destroy nature from time to time, believe me, we would not be talking about the earthquake in Istanbul today. Stating that they calculated that they needed 85 billion dollars to make Istanbul earthquake resistant, İmamoğlu emphasized that local governments should be strengthened for a solution. Imamoğlu said, “We saw together how the central setup became ineffective during the earthquake and that, unfortunately, a systematic approach was not possible in the disaster area when the process was managed with a central understanding,” said İmamoğlu.
“I WATCHED FROM TRT AND I WAS SHARED”
“Therefore, we hereby declare that ineffectiveness will be possible through impact, this inefficiency in efficiency, and unfortunately, this waste of resources will be possible through proper guidance and local empowerment. Now we need to look back at our cities, their problems, potentials and local government structures. It is clear that we urgently need a management reform without delay. The most important part of this reform must inevitably be strong local governments. And we will definitely bring this reform together with our nation in the new period. Turkey needs to return to a strong planning approach at the national, regional and urban levels as soon as possible. We watched with both trepidation and sadness the mentality of housing projects in the earthquake zone, which was still shaken by aftershocks the next day, in a panic. It is a great shame and tragedy that tents and containers are missing, and that there is a lot of talk about housing tenders. However, the central government should have started a rapid and action plan process, emphasizing regional development, on a regional scale and participatory way instead. The rebuilding process, which extended to the house, had to be designed and implemented as a whole. We saw it on the screens. I watched on TRT, the channel of our state, which opened the foundation of a block and showed people the construction of a block or two blocks on television for exactly 15 minutes, saying, 'We are starting housing,' and said, 'We are hosting you as guests', and I was ashamed.”
“THE CURRENT MIND CANNOT FILL THIS DEFICIENCY; WE GO”
“While the construction of the world and Turkey in a way that will leave a mark for the next few centuries is discussed and discussed, on the one hand, temporary housing for earthquake victims and the process of allocating them to them is expected, the effort to lay the foundations of a simple code, a few blocks of construction and building construction is sad. Imamoglu said, "This is the shortcoming, science makes up for it. This lack, technical skill goes, Let me tell you clearly, the current mind cannot eliminate this lack. We fix it. We ensure that the central government has a participatory perspective and works with local governments. Because if we can't do that, we haven't really solved the problems. We will only be blindfolded and postponed," he said. Emphasizing that Turkey has many problems apart from the earthquake, especially the economic crisis, İmamoğlu said, “It is imperative that our political and administrative system be reconstructed. As the second century of our Republic begins, this restructuring and reform program will also be extremely important. But this should never be a top-down fiction. Today, Turkey's accumulation, central and local governments, the state and civil society must reach a maturity that can work together at all levels. We need to remember working together once again, and even if we have forgotten, we need to learn and teach.”
“21. CENTURY IS THE CENTURY OF CITIES”
Noting that every institution of the state belongs to the country's 86 million people, İmamoğlu said:
“We, Zeydan President or I, the people who have been authorized by you for a term, are the representatives of all voters and non-voters of this city. Our state's bureaucracy, politicians, mayors and deputies may not have the same opinion. But they are equal in terms of service to their people, their rights and responsibilities. Therefore, we have to bring this understanding to our country. The state is not an institution that shows its power against its citizens; The state must be an institution that demonstrates its strength against disasters. The state shows its compassion, love and service to its citizens. It shows indiscriminately. Now our Turkey is on the verge of a new beginning. In democratic processes, the way to work in harmony will be opened and Turkey with its center and local will be able to work together on all issues, especially on the disaster issue. On behalf of our country, I attach great importance to the fact that the mayors of the two largest cities of Turkey have also been assigned an active role in such a restructuring process, and I would like to underline our responsibility once again. The 21st century is the century of cities. Today, 85 percent of the population in Turkey lives in cities. Therefore, while our Turkey is being restructured, standing up again, and our cities are being made resistant to earthquakes, I find it valuable that the Istanbul and Ankara Mayors are opened as an effective area at the central government level.
“TOGETHER A FORCE WILL BE BORN ALL AROUND ANATOLIA”
Emphasizing that they will act very quickly and effectively both in the cities they undertake to manage and on the scale of Turkey, İmamoğlu said, “And you will see, we will get very good results. Disasters will not bring us, our nation, to our knees. We are on the verge of attaining a government that takes measures quickly, knows and feels the priorities and needs of local governments, especially earthquakes and disasters, and pursues a common mind on solutions. That's when we, especially our presidential candidate, Mr. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, succeeded in this; Things change completely in Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Hatay, Maraş, Adıyaman, Edirne, Hakkari, Trabzon and Van. We will have really good days. From now on, local governments will come to the government, and the government to the local governments, not to show their power, but to add power. They will strengthen each other. A strength will arise from unity all over Anatolia. The abundance of the resources and wealth of this country will increase even more. None of us should have any doubt that we will raise this country together with a strong administration like Turkey and a fertile administration like Anatolia. We are here with this belief. Whoever faces the problems, acts with reason and science against the problems, who is the pioneer of the work, scientists when necessary, technical people when necessary, business people when necessary, non-governmental organizations when necessary, our professional people, teachers when necessary, our workers, laborers when necessary, who value the minds of everyone, We will bring the consciousness of being a state that is interested in it, looking into its eyes, listening to it, understanding and designing the future, just as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk looked into the eyes of its citizens. We are here with that belief.”
“TOGETHER WE WILL KEEP OUR HANDS UNDER THE STONE”
Saying, "We are here to remind our President, Zeydan, that we have to confront our cities, have trouble, and solve the problem together with a common mind," İmamoğlu said in his speech, "Soon, our scientists will tell the problems and the solutions. And together we will put our hands under the stone. It is the same in Istanbul, it is the same in Adana. We will strengthen our buildings where necessary. We will renovate our buildings where necessary. From now on, you will see the administrations about our cities, unconditionally, never compromising on principles. We will protect the individual rights of our citizens, but more than that, protect the environment, protect nature, fight climate, fight drought, reduce the damage of climate change, and together we will struggle to create Adana, which suits our children and youth, and Istanbul, which suits our children. Feeling close to Adana number 01 Ekrem İmamoğlu With this belief, I greet you all with love and respect. I would like to thank all of you for your great interest in this meeting, which will be held with the participation of our scientists, and I say, 'Everything will be fine'.
LANDS: “WE WILL MAKE ADANA'S MRI”
Adana Metropolitan Mayor Karalar, who started his speech by thanking İmamoğlu, the Mayor of İBB, who has been with them since the first days of the earthquake, said, “When there is an earthquake, how can we respond quickly? What is the size of the earthquake in Adana and the earthquake in Turkey? Where does it go? You will listen to our teachers. I'm not going to tell you this in length. But I would like to summarize what we did in Adana in a few sentences. You all know, I'm the mayor who was the fastest at the head of the collapsed building, since it's a building close to home. I saw this: Everyone went out at once. And traffic is blocked. We were able to transfer the tools, equipment and crane too late. It is necessary to pay attention to this once, dear friends," he warned. Sharing the knowledge that they have started to conduct micro-region studies in order to be prepared for the earthquakes to be experienced from now on, Karalar said, “We will take the MRI of Adana. Where does an earthquake occur, where should we prepare? Where is the closest thing to our tools, equipment for earthquake fighting, including cutting tools, including hilti? We are preparing to be stationed there. We will be the provinces most prepared for this issue," he said. Emphasizing that Adana is the fourth city to conduct micro-region studies together with Istanbul, İzmir and Tekirdağ, Karalar said, “There are municipalities with Republican People's Party in all four of them. I want to draw your attention. Unfortunately, under the earthquake, those who distanced themselves from science remained. Unfortunately, under the earthquake, Kızılay remained. Unfortunately, our country has become like this in the hands of unqualified people. The earthquake is a fact, but the pain of the earthquake might not have been this much," he said.