6 FEBRUARY EARTHQUAKES BEFORE AND AFTER
It is obvious what a price we, as Turkey, have paid for the earthquakes that caused hundreds of thousands of our people to die under rubble, cities to be destroyed, and indescribable pain throughout the history of the Republic.
With the series of articles we have prepared as Milli Gazete, we will discuss Turkey's earthquake history and the process leading up to February 6, the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that caused catastrophic destruction in 11 provinces, and the aftermath of the disaster.
Turkey, an earthquake country, has faced major disasters many times, hundreds of thousands of citizens died under the rubble, dozens of cities were destroyed and indescribable suffering was experienced.
However, since we did not learn any lessons from these, no serious precautions were ever taken against the earthquake threat. The February 6 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, on whose anniversary we are celebrating, entered the history of Turkey and the world as the most serious test against earthquakes in history.
In the second part of our article series, we will discuss how the earthquake threat can turn into a serious disaster through negligence and wrong policies, and evaluate what happened in the February 6 earthquakes that affected 11 provinces.
Exactly one year ago, on February 6, 2023, the whole of Türkiye was shaken. At 04.17 at night, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 occurred, with the epicenter in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş, and at 13.24, with the magnitude of 7.6, the epicenter of which was in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş.
According to official data, 53 thousand 537 people died and 38 thousand 901 buildings were destroyed in the February 6 earthquakes, which caused serious destruction in 11 provinces.
This great earthquake, which affected more than 15 million people, was described as the "Disaster of the Century" by the government and was evaluated as a "plan of destiny".
Didn't the precautions not taken against the earthquakes that have been happening for years, inadequate inspections and even obvious mistakes have any impact on this great disaster? In the second part of our article series, we will examine the February 6 earthquakes, the anniversary of which, from different aspects.
BALANCE SHEET OF FEBRUARY 6
The February 6 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, which were the heaviest test in Turkey's history, were felt in 11 provinces.
The first earthquake, whose epicenter was Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık, lasted 65 seconds at 04.17 at night with a magnitude of 7.7. The earthquake, which caused serious shaking in southern Turkey and a certain part of Syria, occurred at a depth very close to the earth's surface.
After the first earthquake, which caused great destruction and loss of life, the second earthquake, whose epicenter was Kahramanmaraş Elbistan, occurred at 13.24 in the afternoon with a magnitude of 7.6.
According to official figures, 53 thousand 537 people died and 107 thousand people were injured in the earthquakes in which Kilis, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Adıyaman, Malatya and Hatay suffered great damage.
In the disaster that affected 15 million of our citizens, 38 thousand 901 buildings were destroyed and all cities affected by the earthquake were almost half destroyed.
AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
The second 7.6 magnitude earthquake, which came hours after the first 7.7 magnitude earthquake, caused serious destruction and was a lifespan in 11 provinces. Tens of thousands of people were waiting to be rescued under the rubble, and the survivors were struggling with the cold in great pain.
The fact that the communication and transportation infrastructure in the earthquake zone completely collapsed in some regions concealed what exactly Turkey was facing. Earthquake victims and government institutions in the cities started search and rescue efforts using the limited resources of the region.
However, Turkey, which was caught unprepared for the earthquake, took time to fully send aid to the earthquake region.
There were short-term disruptions in the delivery of search and rescue teams to the earthquake area, the delivery of construction machines/equipment to remove the debris, and the delivery of emergency humanitarian aid such as food, medicine and clothing to the earthquake victims.
TÜRKİYE HELPED THE EARTHQUAKE AREA HAND IN HAND
When the serious situation in the earthquake region emerged, a state of emergency was immediately declared. The state, albeit with difficulty, took control of all cities affected by the earthquake through AFAD, Red Crescent and law enforcement forces.
On the other hand, countless aid was coming to the earthquake region from almost every country in the world in terms of search and rescue and humanitarian aid. While all this was happening, many of our citizens were being rescued from the rubble and many bodies were being recovered.
Türkiye joined hands and was rushing to help the disaster area. As a means of this struggle and solidarity, even though 260 hours had passed since the earthquake, he was still being rescued alive from the rubble.
THE EARTHQUAKE HAPPENED SUDDENLY BUT NEGLIGENCE WAS ALWAYS THERE
While the most painful days in Turkey's history were going on, millions of citizens were doing their best while waiting for good news from the earthquake zone.
While the bleeding wounds of the earthquakes were trying to heal, technical information was slowly coming from the disaster area. In the examinations carried out by experts in the region, many flaws were detected that would cause the toll of the earthquake to worsen.
For example, the 250-flat Rönesans Residence in Hatay, where approximately 1000 of our citizens lost their lives, was built on soft ground and it was understood that there was a defect in the concrete used in its construction.
Investigations revealed that many collapsed buildings had cut columns. All these irregularities cost many lives because adequate control was not carried out. The February 6 earthquakes came unannounced, but there was always negligence and lack of control...
TOMORROW PART 3: WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE FEBRUARY 6 EARTHQUAKES?