Activity Report： Area & Country >> Turkey

Study Visit to the 2023 Turkiye Earthquake-Affected Areas

21-23 October 2023 (Turkiye)

Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), in collaboration with the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) of Turkiye, University of the Ryukyus, and Hacettepe University, organized a study visit to 2023 Turkiye-Syria earthquake-affected areas in Turkiye on 21-23 October 2023. The study visit was aimed at: i) observing the impacts, challenges, and lessons from the earthquake disaster; ii) gaining insights on improving the DRR plans of ADRC member countries; and iii) facilitating knowledge and information exchange.

The study team comprised officials from Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam. In addition, academics from the University of the Ryukus and Hacettepe University as well as AFAD officials from Turkiye and ADRC staff members participated in the study visit. The team learned more about the mechanisms, damage, and disaster response of this earthquake in Turkiye. The study team also visited three of the eleven provinces impacted by the earthquake, Gaziantep, Kharamanmaras, and Hatay to observe the housing recovery process in these areas.

The team learned that the tectonic plates in Turkiye include the Anatolian Plate, the African Plate, the Arabian Plate, and the Eurasian Plate and that during the 2023 earthquakes, "a relative slip between the Arabian and African plates caused westward movement of the Anatolian plate." This large slip combined with the following factors caused many buildings to collapse or become heavily damaged: i) lack of implementation of seismic codes in structural design, ii) construction mistakes, negligence, and lack of moral, iii) poor workmanship, iv) soft floors, v) resonance phenomenon due to ground conditions, vi) pounding of adjacent buildings, and vii) liquefaction of the ground. Regarding housing recovery, the team observed that the reconstruction is contractor-driven and that the permanent houses are being built in relocation sites. Also, the citizens can own the house

with payments maturing in 20 years (2 years free and 18 years covered 60% by subsidy from the government).

ADRC would like to thank AFAD, Dr Omer and Professor Ulusay to make this visit possible, and all the participants from the member countries who actively took part in this study visit.

(2023/10/30 15:00)

Study Visit in Affected Areas of Turkiye Earthquake (Hyogo Prefecture Turkiye Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Support Project)

24 September - 2 October 2023 (Turkiye)

ADRC visited Turkiye from 24 September to 2 October 2023, staying six days in Turkiye, to study the state of their recovery in field of education in areas affected by the Turkiye-Syria Earthquake that occurred in February 2023. This study was supported by the "Hyogo Prefecture Turkiye Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Support Project" and conducted in collaboration with Mr SUWA Seiji, Visiting Professor, University of Hyogo. In addition, Dr Emin Ozdamar of the Turkish Japanese Foundation greatly cooperated in this project.

The delegation visited schools that were damaged by the earthquake in the Province of Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, and Hatay, and had interviews regarding school education and the situations of teachers and children after the earthquake. Workshops were also conducted with education communities to share the experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake, including the response of the actual education sites and the recovery efforts they have made.

It seemed that the teachers were still in deep grief from the earthquake but they were working hard to reopen schools, continue education, and care for children. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) has been providing mental health and psychosocial support for teachers and children by dispatching specialists and holding seminars for teachers, however, for a long-term recovery, continuous supports for teachers and children in schools are necessary. Moreover, reconsideration of future disaster education based on the experience of this earthquake is also essential. ADRC will create opportunities to share experiences of disasters between Turkiye and Japan through communication exchanges with teachers and children.

(2023/10/09 15:00)

Workshop for the Technical Expert Service on Increasing Efficiency of Provincial Disaster Management in Denizli, Turkiye

24 - 28 July 2023 (Denizli, Turkiye)

Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 respectively occurred in Turkiye on 6 February 2023, causing great destruction in 10 provinces. Considering this experience, the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Denizli Governorship decided to conduct a five-day workshop in Denizli titled "Technical Expert Service on Increasing Efficiency of Provincial Disaster Management," with the support of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO). Officials from the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Denizli also joined the workshop as key experts. One of the most important objectives of this activity is to identify the problems experienced before and after the earthquake disaster, to discuss concrete interventions for solving those problems, and to develop a coordination system in order to establish a policy for addressing potential future disasters.

Dr IKEDA Makoto from ADRC attended the workshop as a speaker and made several presentations. Professor MURATA Masahiko from Kansai University of International Studies also participated and shared his experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The participants also engaged actively in discussion with Professor MURATA and Dr IKEDA, and the workshop proved to be useful occasion for considering how to achieve better DRR in Turkiye going forward.

(2023/7/31 15:00)