Earthquake safety is a requirement for real estate reconstruction in Turkey
Last Updated: 2023-07-27Seismic safety is a condition for reconstruction and a revolution in the real estate market
Turkey is located within a seismically active geographical area, as three active and sometimes dangerous seismic lines pass from within its territory, which made it permanently vulnerable to almost daily small earthquakes and devastating earthquakes from time to time.
In 1999, Turkey witnessed a devastating earthquake that struck the Sea of Marmara, with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale and lasted for 45 seconds at 03:01:40 in the morning. The collapse of buildings in the cities surrounding the Sea of Marmara led to the burial of nearly 20 thousand citizens under the rubble of their homes and damaged 365 thousand buildings.
In 2020, Turkey witnessed an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale that struck the state of Izmir, killing 135 people and the collapse of some buildings. Here we can say that the secret reason for the variation in the number of victims from one earthquake to another lies in the variation in construction standards, it is not the earthquake that kills but the building.
You will read in this article
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Devastating earthquakes throughout Turkey's history.
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Turkey is coping with earthquakes and developing a safety roadmap
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The Urban Evolution Project is the largest seismic safety program in Turkey.
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Seismic safety standards are a prerequisite for construction and a revolution in the real estate market
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Mersat Real Estate recommends to its clients the most important projects that achieve seismic security
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Destructive earthquakes throughout Turkey's history
Turkey is exposed to frequent earthquakes and almost daily earthquakes, which geologists attribute to the subjugation of the Anatolian tectonic plate to the influence of the Arab plate, which is heading north, with an almost constant state of the Eurasia plate in the north.
Since the year 1500 AD, Turkey has witnessed about 23 devastating earthquakes, whose strength exceeded 7.0 degrees, according to geologists' estimates, given the destruction recorded by historians.
"Minor Doomsday" earthquake
It occurred on September 10, 1509, its center was the Sea of Marmara, and the city of Istanbul had the largest share of destruction, as its strength was estimated at 7.2 degrees.
It was called the "Minor Doomsday," since there were no specific numbers of victims, it was estimated in the tens of thousands, with 1070 buildings destroyed.
Istanbul Earthquake 1719
It hit Istanbul on May 24, 1719, its strength, according to estimates, reached 7.1 on the Richter scale, and spread over a wide area until its damage reached the city of Izmit, south of Istanbul. An earthquake in 1719 destroyed parts of the old city wall, mosques and baths, among them the Sultan Mehramah Mosque (daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent).
Istanbul earthquake 1894
It hit the Marmara Sea Basin on July 10, 1894, and its greatest impact was on the city of Istanbul, along with the states of Yalova and Kocaeli. It is estimated that its strength was 7 degrees on the Richter scale. It caused high tidal waves (tsunamis) in which the sea water retreated 200 meters, followed by waves that hit the city ports, causing the destruction of a large number of ships.
It was called the "Great Land Movement", which caused the destruction of buildings in the old city, specifically in the Eminonu and Fatih areas
Erzincan Earthquake 1939
Erzincan Earthquake hit central Turkey on December 27, 1939, and it was one of the most severe earthquakes that struck Anatolia, and among the largest in the world, with a magnitude of 7.9 degrees. It killed 33,000 people, and injured nearly 100,000 others. After this earthquake, geologists discovered the tectonic rift in North Anatolia, and the efforts of the Turkish state intensified after that to study earthquakes in the country.
Arba earthquake 1942
It hit the district of Erba, in the state of Tuqat, northern Turkey, on December 20, with a force of 7.0 degrees, killing 3 thousand people.
Ladik earthquake
On November 26, 1943, Ladik district, in the state of Samsun in northern Turkey, was hit. It reached 7.6 on the Richter scale, and its influence extended over large areas in the Black Sea regions. It destroyed 75 percent of the area's buildings, killing 2,300 people, and wounding 5,000 people.
Vartu earthquake
Vartu district in the state of Mosh, eastern Anatolia, was struck in 1966, and it was two earthquakes, the first was in March, killing 14 people, and the second on August 19 of the same year, and its magnitude exceeded 7 degrees, and caused the death of 2,400 Person.
Galderan earthquake
Its center was Moradia district in the state of Van in southeastern Turkey, and its magnitude reached 7.5 degrees, killing 3 thousand and 840 people, and injuring 500 people, most of the people lost their lives under the rubble due to the cold, as the temperature when the earthquake hit 17 degrees below zero. This was accompanied by a snow storm that struck the region.
Golcuk earthquake 1999
It hit the northwestern Turkish state of Koca on August 17, 1999. Its intensity reached 7.4, and it lasted for 45 seconds to be recorded as the longest time duration of an earthquake in the country's history. Its influence extended to the entire Marmara Sea basin, and was felt by residents of the capital, Ankara (center) and Izmir (west). It caused heavy losses of lives and property in the state of Kocaeli, as well as the cities of Istanbul and Yalova. Official figures indicate the death of 17 thousand and 118 people, and the injury of 25 thousand others, most of them in the state of Kocaeli.
Duzce earthquake 1999
It hit the northern Turkish state of Duzce on November 12, its strength reached 7.2 degrees, it lasted for 30 seconds, and was felt by residents of most surrounding states. It caused the death of 894 people, injured two thousand and 679, and left thousands of people without shelter after the destruction of 16 thousand and 666 houses, and 3 thousand and 837 commercial and industrial places, according to the figures of the Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD).
Wan earthquake 2011
Its center was in the Tabanli district in Van State, southeastern Turkey, and it struck the region on October 23, 2011. Its strength reached 7.2 degrees, and it lasted for 25 seconds.
Turkey is coping with earthquakes and developing a safety roadmap
The 1999 earthquake is considered a turning point in the Turkish administration towards coexisting with earthquakes and reducing their danger. After this earthquake and the large human and material losses that were caused to it, the coalition government at the time, led by Bulent Ecevit, approved a temporary earthquake tax according to Law No. 4481, which was extended for two years, and then it was fixed in 2003 under the era of the Justice and Development Government, and the funds collected from these taxes are aimed at strengthening weak buildings and replacing them with modern Earthquake-resistant buildings improving infrastructure at the entire republic level. From here emerged the idea of a project based on the demolition of old buildings and the establishment of earthquake-resistant buildings within the seismic safety standards, in addition to the creation of a new disaster management authority to collect powers and responsibilities under one roof in cases of disasters and emergencies. The authority leads cooperation between institutions and organizations in the country for the purpose of planning, directing, support, coordination and effective implementation of the activities necessary to prevent disasters, reduce their damages, respond to disasters at the time of their occurrence and complete disaster recovery work quickly after its end, so it takes into account the rational use of resources in this field. From the day it was established in the year 2009, it implemented and responded effectively and quickly to various natural disasters, chiefly the last Izmir earthquakes, and its work is not limited only at the local level, as it extends aid at the international level also from Haiti to Japan and from Chile to Myanmar, and until 2019 it provided humanitarian aid worth 4.5 billion Turkish liras to 58 countries. It also employs the best experts and professionals and always strives to qualify its employees and raise their efficiency, and pay attention to the use of the best technological equipment. Its staff and service centers are spread in all Turkish cities, and its annual budget will reach about two billion Turkish liras this year.
The Presidency of Disaster and Emergency Management Corporation owns 1100 earthquake stations all over the country as the largest seismic network in Turkey and the second largest network in Europe. Logistical centers have been established in 26 provinces and support stores in 51 other provinces, and since the launch of the awareness campaign "Turkey is ready to face disasters" in 2013 until now, nine million students and nearly 12 million citizens participated in awareness-raising exercises on facing disasters.
The Urban Evolution Project is the largest seismic safety program in Turkey
The year 2012 began what is known as the "civilization transformation" program, which aims to demolish unlicensed buildings that do not comply with engineering standards that are earthquake-resistant and are constructed in dangerous places and contradict urban expansion plans, and to start building stronger buildings and equipping the infrastructure and communication networks to cope with difficult conditions in times of disaster.
Since the start of the program in 2012, nearly 610 thousand dangerous housing units have been demolished in various Turkish cities, and a comprehensive engineering examination has been conducted for 5.5 million housing units inhabited by nearly 22 million citizens. Examinations are also underway for another 3 million housing units currently under construction, and the program aims to complete the construction of 1.5 million new earthquake-resistant housing units by 2023.
During the past eight years, more than 13 billion Turkish liras were allocated to support the civilization transformation program, the largest share of which was allocated to building earthquake-resistant housing units and rehabilitating and building new infrastructure, and part of the budget was allocated to help citizens pay the rent of their temporary housing until they received their new homes.
Seismic safety standards are a prerequisite for construction and a revolution in the real estate market.
During 20 years, Turkey has developed building standards in several stages, and has continuously updated the building codes to make it safer and more robust, which prompted investors to buy modern properties that achieve the highest standards of seismic security, which were developed according to these methods:
- Earthquake resistant buildings are designed in a way that building support is provided by connecting roofs and walls with a solid square that remains stable when an earthquake occurs, and the vertical support of the building helps in resisting the lateral forces resulting from the earthquake.
- For skyscrapers, they are built on separate bases made up of springs, cylinders and metal balls, and it is the task of this base to absorb shocks, so that the building is not exposed to the vibration caused by the earthquake.
- The use of strong construction joints helps reduce earthquake risks, and these joints absorb pressure, making them able to absorb seismic forces, and it would also make the building work as a single unit without disintegrating due to the earthquake.
- The strength of the building’s foundations is one of the most important characteristics of modern buildings in Turkey, as the appropriate soil is chosen to construct buildings on it, and it is kept away from dirt or sandy areas.
- Constructing buildings on solid ground reduces building vibration in the event of earthquakes, and linking building bases to solid ground helps to preserve it in the face of earthquakes. In earthquake-resistant buildings the dimensions of the building are taken into account, and in the event that the length of the building exceeds 50 meters, expansion and landing joints are placed in the upper floors as seismic breaks are placed as well. The aim is to preserve the safety of the building in the event of an earthquake.
Edited by Mersat Real Estate Team ©
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