Turkey marks Marmara earthquake anniversary with drills and calls for urban renewal

Marmara earthquake anniversary urban transformation earthquake preparedness structural steel construction disaster awareness

On the 27th anniversary of the August 17 Marmara earthquake, various Turkish municipalities and industry leaders held events to emphasize disaster preparedness and the necessity of urban transformation.

In Kocaeli, the Metropolitan Municipality organized an exhibition featuring photographs of the 1999 earthquake and the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes to maintain public awareness. Similarly, Tuzla Municipality conducted emergency drills, and Başakşehir Municipality performed a large-scale evacuation simulation involving over 3,000 citizens across 94 blocks.

Industry experts are calling for accelerated structural improvements. The President of the Turkish Contractors Association emphasized the need to reduce economic and legal barriers to urban renewal. Meanwhile, Selami Gürel, President of the Turkish Structural Steel Association (TUCSA), advocated for the use of structural steel, describing it as a “necessity” rather than a choice for building earthquake-resilient cities due to its strength and speed of application.

Entities

Başakşehir Municipality · Eskişehir · Gölcük · Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality · Meral Şurabatır · Tarhan Apartment · Turkish Contractors Association · Turkish Structural Steel Association · Tuzla Municipality

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] 33 people died in the collapse of the Tarhan Apartment in Eskişehir. www.medyagazete.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The Tarhan Apartment in Eskişehir was the only building to collapse in that city during the earthquake. www.medyagazete.com
[● 2 SOURCES] The 1999 Marmara earthquake resulted in 17,480 deaths and 43,953 injuries. www.gazetebirlik.com · www.medyagazete.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Tuzla Municipality conducted an earthquake preparedness drill at its main service building. www.gazetebirlik.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Survivor Meral Şurabatır spent 20 hours under the rubble of the Tarhan Apartment. www.medyagazete.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.4 and lasted 45 seconds. www.medyagazete.com