ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – October 2012
IT FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY…
In one week, it will have been exactly one year.
But it feels like just yesterday...
It was Sunday afternoon,
I was sitting at the table with my back to the television,
A flash news interrupted the program,
And that sentence: “Van was hit by a 7.2 earthquake.”
My blood froze, I knew:
Van wouldn’t just shake with a 7.2, it would collapse.
I turned to the television with what felt like great anger and fear,
As if it were somehow its fault, or like it was there.
At that moment, a live phone connection was made with the mayor.
The mayor’s tone of voice was enough to indicate
The severity of the situation.
When he said Erciş had been completely destroyed,
And there were many casualties,
My sorrow could no longer be contained.
Another precious corner of my homeland
Had become a victim of ignorance, irresponsibility, and negligence.
As time passed, the number of deaths and injuries grew.
I couldn’t believe the images in the press.
How could a building collapse completely?
How could a citizen’s home become their grave?
It was unbearable…
I followed the visuals on the news all night.
Unfortunately, the situation was very serious.
The next day, when I came to the department, I saw the same
Sadness and silence on everyone’s faces.
Honestly, in the Department of Civil Engineering, my eyes
Were always searching for my students from Van.
The time came, and I went to the Reinforced Concrete lecture.
An Erciş student of mine and his close friends were absent from class.
During the first lesson, I couldn’t ask anything,
And none of my students could say anything either.
In the second lesson, I could no longer bear it and asked.
One of my students, with his head bowed, said:
His mother, sister, and uncle had passed away.
I couldn’t say anything to the young people,
I don’t even remember how I taught the lesson.
When the class ended, I spoke with my student on the phone.
I offered my condolences. How could he bear that burden?
What else could be done for him, except to pray for strength from the Almighty?
A short while later, we went to Van with a delegation from the department.
We first visited the mourning homes in Erciş.
Their houses had turned into complete rubble.
The pain there penetrated deep into all of us.
While we were there, a heavy snowfall began.
Most of the people were in the open or in tents.
The grief of losing a child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling—
Could the cold be endured when the soul had already been broken?
And now, a full year has passed.
Structural problems are still ongoing.
The pain of what has been lost will make hearts ache even more,
Especially with the upcoming holidays.
May the Almighty grant them patience.
Is the earthquake our fate?
Should we just wait for it to happen?
The Law on the Transformation of Areas Under Disaster Risk
No. 6306 was published in the Official Gazette on May 31, 2012, and came into force.
Its implementation regulation was published in the Official Gazette on August 4, 2012,
And also came into effect.
So, what actions have the authorities taken in the last three months regarding
Buildings with weak earthquake resistance?
Why can’t we see any local work being done?
The hearts full of sorrow want to speak many words.
But this time, there’s no need for many words,
The Final Word: Societies with high levels of civilization,
That aim for the future, with large projects and goals,
Are the ones where the safest places in an earthquake
Are their own homes.