Dear ASCE Turkey Group Members,
We are all very saddened about the lives lost by the recent earthquakes caused in our country. This is one of the largest earthquakes experienced by the country in the last century. The damage in the residential apartments and infrastructure is extremely widespread, which makes this event a very catastrophic one. Almost everyone in Turkey is affected by the earthquake, we all had and still have loved ones living in those 10 cities affected.
We have excellent engineers in Turkey and a detailed earthquake design code. After the 99 earthquake, I knew we could and had hoped that we will build earthquake-resilient buildings going forward. Unfortunately, the latest disaster has shown it has not been the case. I think that better QA/QC regulations, nationwide and high-quality civil engineering education with an emphasis on engineering ethics are all required for building a better future. I know that we are a resilient nation and will recover from this event.
At this time, we would like to thank all of the international personnel who have been active in the rescue operations. They helped us greatly to save lives and their efforts are priceless to us... At the same time, we also thank all ASCE groups who offered support and sent us messages. It is nice to be a part of this community that leads the way for resilience... We appreciated the assistance offered by the ASCE Israel group with the post-earthquake evaluation of structures. We have shared the information with the Turkish authorities in charge.
We send our heartfelt condolences to all of our members.
Sincerely,
I. Zeynep YILDIRIM, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
On behalf of ASCE Turkey International Group
Asst. Prof. (Geotechnical Engineering)
Dept. of Civil Engineering
Bogazici University