Evaluating the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaras, Earthquake Engineering Specialist Prof. Dr. Zeki Hasgur, “Great earthquakes also have great aftershocks. Aftershocks of magnitude 6.4, 6.2 and 5.3, respectively, increased the impact of the destruction. “Our citizens should avoid entering damaged buildings,” he said. Hasgür, who warned that the big aftershocks would be effective for 3 days and then decrease and continue for a while, commented, “We experienced an earthquake that will go down in history”.
Reminding that Turkey is a country with a high earthquake risk, Altinbas University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Department of Civil Engineering Lecturer Prof. Dr. Zeki Hasgur, “We experienced an earthquake that will go down in history. It is seen that the earthquake, which took place at a depth of 7 kilometers, interacted with the Southern Taurus, Kahramanmaras and Urfa thrust faults, and the Eastern Anatolian Fault line as it is also in Diyarbakir and Hatay. It caused many aftershocks in an area of 13 kilometers. The reason why it is felt in such a wide area. this situation.” made the statement.
“Pointing out that the length of the earthquake period is also an important factor, Zeki Hasgur said, “Buildings have acceleration amplitudes, if the columns and beams are not made strong, if the necessary precautions are not taken on soft soils during construction, if the ground improvement is not made, the risk of dent increases. The period of the earthquake is about 0.9 seconds. The longer the earthquake duration, the greater the probability of destruction.”
He drew attention to the importance of constructing buildings in accordance with earthquake safety.
Prof. Dr. Zeki Hasgur continued his statements about risky areas as follows:
“This earthquake occurred on the left, strike-slip fault called the East Anatolian Fault. It caused the earthquake that happened today. This fault passes through the Iskenderun Bay and extends to the Dead Sea in the south. We were expecting significant earthquakes on it. Although Elazig is close to the junction areas of the North Anatolian Fault, I stated in my assessment that there would be an earthquake in the south, in Hatay and Iskenderun regions, 2 years ago after the Izmir Earthquake. There have been small earthquakes in this region in the past, but there was no major earthquake in Iskenderun and Hatay. Therefore, the movement and interaction in this region will continue.”
“ARTICLE WILL BE EFFECTIVE FOR 3 DAYS”
Zeki Hasgur, who warned that large aftershocks would be effective for 3 days and then decrease and continue for a while, emphasized that the wavelength of an earthquake of this magnitude would also be large, and said, “Therefore, we need to intervene quickly in this region, which we call 4 road junctions, the loss of life is likely to increase. . Rescue efforts from under the rubble must continue rapidly. Since cracks and damage will not be visible in buildings such as hotels, which are covered with materials such as wallpaper and paneling, these buildings must be evacuated. AFAD seems to be better organized compared to previous years. It is vital that the Red Crescent and AFAD put in place the appropriate emergency support and aid for winter conditions.”
“SETTLEMENTS ARE ABOVE FAULT LINES”
Altınbaş University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Head of Civil Engineering Department Assoc. Dr. Sepanta Naimi also stated that the settlements are unfortunately built on fault lines, which causes great loss of life and property. Assoc. Dr. Emphasizing that the old building stock is not earthquake resistant, Sepanta Naimi said, “According to the data of the United States Geological Research Center (USGS), it is impossible for the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 (AFAD 7.7) to not cause any damage, but according to the images, some buildings collapsed completely. Although the adjacent buildings only survived with damage and are still standing, our old building stock (especially buildings built according to the old regulation) shows once again that it is not resistant to earthquakes. Such buildings need to be strengthened or converted against earthquakes urgently. In short, the fact that the settlements were built directly on the fault and the lack of attention to this issue in the formation of the cities was the harbinger of disaster today. On the other hand, service buildings (Hospitals, schools, fire brigades, etc.) should survive and be in service in such cases, and they should definitely benefit from earthquake isolators in such buildings. Newly built hospitals have this, but as we always talk about, our biggest issue is our old building stock. Let’s not forget that today’s earthquake is not the first, it is not the last, it may be in Kahramanmaras today and Istanbul tomorrow.
Source: UAV
