After massive earthquakes hit Turkey, Istanbul residents fear the next earthquake | News

As Turkey recedes from its deadliest earthquake in decades, some Istanbulites have turned their already growing anxiety elsewhere — toward the next big earthquake.

“We are living in distress,” said Aysegül Rahwanci, a lifelong Istanbul resident, of her fears of a possible strong earthquake in the city.

“Our life equals anxiety.”

Many people who live in Turkey’s largest city shared Rovanci’s sentiments, particularly in the aftermath of Monday’s massive earthquakes – with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6 – that have killed more than 21,000 people and injured more than 80,000 in southeastern Turkey to date. Saturday. Thousands more have been killed in Syria. Officials said they expected the death toll to continue to rise.

The country is particularly prone to earthquakes, as it is located in an area where several tectonic plates meet. Earthquakes usually occur along the boundaries between plates. The North Anatolian Rift, which divides the Eurasian and Anatolian plates, runs near Istanbul.

According to Sukru Ersoy, a professor of geology from Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul, the question is when a strong earthquake will hit Istanbul, not if it will.

“With the data we have on past earthquakes, and through certain models, we can say that an earthquake is close to Istanbul and we would not be surprised if the city was hit by it today,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that it was impossible to know when the disaster would occur.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said in a recent interview that there are about 90,000 buildings that are highly vulnerable to earthquakes in major cities with a population of about 20 million.

The mayor said that another 170,000 buildings are in medium danger in the event of a strong earthquake, according to research by the Istanbul Municipality.

After Monday’s earthquake, more than 6,400 buildings were reported to have collapsed in southeastern Turkey.

Many victims are still believed to be trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings across the region, as search and rescue efforts continue although hopes of finding survivors have faded.

‘Living in new buildings is expensive’

Istanbul residents watched the news coming from southeastern Turkey in shock, knowing that experts said that an earthquake in Istanbul is very likely.

Rahvanci, who lives in the Kadikoy neighborhood and works as a sales assistant, said she lives in a building that is about 25 years old.

“I can’t afford to live in a new building as the rents are so high,” the 41-year-old told Al Jazeera.

Zeynep Urs, who lives in a building that is more than 50 years old in the Beyoglu district of the city, agreed: “I will consider moving to a new building but it is currently very difficult to find an affordable building.”

“I generally trust my building, but I’m not sure it can handle a very strong earthquake. Of course, I have concerns because of the age of my building,” Urs told Al Jazeera.

The government improved its building regulations after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the western part of Turkey’s Marmara region, where Istanbul is also located, in 1999 and killed about 17,500 people.

After that earthquake, the Turkish seismic design code was improved, and in the late 2000s, the Turkish government launched a large-scale urban transformation plan to replace unsafe buildings with seismically-optimized ones.

Both Rahvanci and Urs said that their buildings do not have the necessary document, the so-called “earthquake report”, which shows that the buildings are in line with the new regulations adopted after the earthquake in the Marmara region.

[Al Jazeera]

Ugur Komtas, a resident of Kadikoy, said he partly trusted the safety of the building he was living in with his family.

Construction on the building was completed in late 2020 and built to new regulations, according to the 57-year-old Komtas, who works as a mechanical engineer.

“I feel 80 percent safe about the building I live in,” he told Al Jazeera. “The building may be damaged in the event of a strong earthquake, but I think it will not collapse.”

However, Komtas expressed concern that he might be in an earthquake risk in another building when he goes out with his family.

All three Istanbul residents who spoke to Al Jazeera said they did not have any preparations for a possible earthquake apart from having an emergency kit at home.

According to official data, there are 817,000 buildings in Istanbul built before the year 2000, which amounts to 70.2 percent of all buildings in the city.

New buildings collapsed

After the earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey last week, some buildings that were built after the year 2000 collapsed. However, it was reported that the majority of the damaged buildings were constructed before the year 2000.

Sukru Ersoy said that the majority of buildings constructed after the 1999 earthquake across Turkey were in line with the new regulations and consisted of improved materials.

However, corruption is rife in the construction sector in Turkey. Hence, there were violations,” he said, adding that these occurred particularly during inspections of buildings in the past.

And we see that in the earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey. Some new and luxurious buildings also collapsed.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos