ANKARA - Drawing attention to the fact that the structures in Turkey were not built in accordance with the Building Earthquake Code, Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki said: "The buildings in Turkey collapse completely because they are built without permission, materials are stolen and not controlled."

 

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 in Maraş caused great destruction in Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Maraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Urfa. While it has been determined that 6 thousand 444 buildings have collapsed in the earthquake so far, the balance sheet is getting heavier as the hours pass. Japanese Earthquake Expert Yoshinori Moriwaki made assessments to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) regarding the fault line that was effective in the earthquake in question and how prepared Turkey is for the earthquake.

 

BUILDINGS ARE NOT CONTROLLED

 

Pointing out that Turkey's regulation is similar to the changes of Japan it made in 1998 and 2018 in the building code, Mariwaki said: "We can say that Turkey's regulation is more strict than the Japanese regulation in some minor points, but the regulation is not followed at the point of implementation. In fact, it is necessary to get a license from the municipality and if there is a mistake, the building inspection companies should check the place. But many buildings are unlicensed, unauthorized and illegal. In some regions in Turkey, a few buildings remain intact because they are built in accordance with the regulations. So many buildings collapse completely because they are not built properly. It doesn't crash in Japan, although it does, it only crashes or warps on the first floor. Although buildings become unusable, they do not collapse completely. However, it completely collapses because it is made without permission in Turkey, the material is stolen and not controlled. If the control is done properly, these things do not happen.”

 

'EARTHQUAKE EDUCATION IS VERY IMPORTANT'

 

Drawing attention to the importance of earthquake education, Mariwaki said: "Children have been given education on what to do in case of an earthquake, starting from kindergarten in Japan. The building did not collapse in the earthquake of 9.0 magnitude in 2011 in Japan, but people lost their lives because they jumped from the balcony during the earthquake. Unfortunately, the person who jumped from the balcony was a Turk. But it's not that person's fault. This person was not educated. In 1999, he saw that building collapse in Yalova and he was informed that if there was an earthquake, one should not be inside the building. He did not think that the building did not collapse in Japan and jumped from the balcony without thinking from which floor he jumped. So education is very important. The government, municipalities and companies should make everyone ready for earthquakes with education."

 

70 PERCENT OF PEOPLE CAN BE SAVED

 

Emphasizing that neither Japan nor Turkey could escape the earthquake and that they should be prepared for it, Mariwaki said: “Everyone wants to forget the bad, they say it won't be bad again. If you are prepared for an earthquake, 70% damage can be determined. So it can save 70 percent of people with calculation. That's why we have to do this together." 

 

‘WE SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE MARMARA EARTHQUAKE’

 

Stating that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 is expected in the Marmara region in the near future, Mariwaki warned to be prepared for the earthquake.

 

MA / Yusra Batihan

 

 

 

 

 

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