ELAZIG GUNISIGI NEWSPAPER – March 2011
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF IT HAPPENED HERE?
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 8.9 occurred in Japan, later corrected to 9.0. The videos we watched on TV and the internet were terrifying. Despite the immense magnitude of the earthquake, the main cause of the loss of life and property was not the shaking, but rather the waves caused by the tsunami.
Looking at the cities affected by the tsunami in Japan, it’s clear that these cities will never return to their former state. The scene was like a war zone. Cars on rooftops, ships in the middle of roads, and houses in the middle of the ocean speak for themselves, illustrating the severity of the situation without needing further explanation.
As expected, humanity would come together to help Japan, and the wounds would be healed. The Japanese people are among the best examples in the world, and they will undoubtedly recover quickly. One of the most concerning issues was the potential for a leak at the nuclear power plant.
Japan has dozens of nuclear plants. For only one of them to be damaged in such a severe earthquake shows the success of Japan's structural design. On this matter, Turkey is divided. However, those who are against nuclear plants must reconsider the issue of dams having a limited lifespan and the increasing energy dependency on foreign countries.
Many people who watched the Japan earthquake on television probably thought, "What would happen if such a large earthquake occurred in our country?" Unfortunately, the answer to this question is both clear and hard to put into words. The answer is: the 1992 Erzincan Earthquake, the 1999 Marmara Earthquakes, the 2003 Bingöl Earthquake, and the Başyurt-Karakoçan Earthquake…
For some, there is nothing to be done, "It’s God's will." While what is destined will inevitably happen, it’s important that we do our part. No one criticizes Japan today, saying “they could have done this or that.” This is because, thanks to their early warning system, thousands of lives were saved—they did everything they could. Apart from the buildings damaged by the tsunami, there were almost no buildings that caused loss of life due to the earthquake.
The first step we need to take is self-criticism, followed by action. The issue that the Japan earthquake should stir up in us is not whether nuclear plants should be built or not, but when our country's earthquake-resistant buildings will be renewed through urban transformation.
Despite the 1992 Erzincan, 1999 Marmara, and 2003 Bingöl Earthquakes, the building inspection system was only implemented in 2011. A critical step in concrete, the G Certificate, has not been fully implemented, and there is still a lack of oversight in concrete quality. The houses built by TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey) are always being constructed on the outskirts of cities, leaving city centers exposed to the effects of earthquakes and undesirable social conditions. Efforts to remove legal obstacles to urban transformation are not progressing as needed. These statements are not destructive, they are self-criticism. The real disaster is the earthquake itself, and if we maintain this attitude, we will suffer great losses when a quake strikes any part of our country—it’s not a prophecy, but a predictable outcome.
We are constantly trying to move Turkey's important centers to Istanbul. Turning Turkey into a country centered only around Istanbul is, at its core, a form of planning failure. Having multiple important cities in every region of Turkey would help distribute the country’s power more evenly and would be necessary from a national strategic standpoint.
In short, if the earthquake occurred in Japan, and the focus of the debate wasn’t on the inadequate structural resilience of buildings, but on nuclear power plants, there is little more to say.