Author(s)

F. Oktay, C. Tetik, O. Gokce & G. Cebi

Abstract

The 2011 Van-Erciş earthquake had a destructive magnitude 7.0 Mw and struck eastern Turkey near the city of Van, October 23, 2011. The earthquake caused heavy shaking across much of eastern Turkey. The number of casualties was 604 and of injured people more than 4000, caused by collapsed or heavily damaged public, residential and commercial buildings. 17 days after the Van-Erciş earthquake, the region was hit by another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 Mw on November 9, 2011. This second earthquake resulted in the collapse of 25 buildings which were mostly damaged during the first earthquake in Van city centre. The total of dead and injured people caused by this earthquake was 40 and 30, respectively. Just after the earthquake, the government declared that all disaster and emergency units of related ministries – agencies would work according to 7 x 24 working principle in order to be able to carry out search and rescue, temporary sheltering, debris removal, medical and psychosocial support uninterruptedly etc. until the next notice. After respond and relief works that continued some couple of weeks, 17,341 new housing units were built in the urban areas in less than 11 months during recovery works. The recovery policy in Turkey aims to reach a safe, improved life environment with respect to pre disaster situations. Schools damaged during the earthquake were rebuilt until the next fall semester with 2,600 new classrooms. During all respond, relief and recovery stages of this disaster, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey was the key actor of management, coordination and implementation. This study summarizes Turkey’s new disaster management system and improvement policy. Keywords: Van earthquake, respond, recovery, disaster and emergency management.

Keywords

Keywords: Van earthquake, respond, recovery, disaster and emergency management.