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Turkey tops the list of the current scene with the occurrence of the last earthquake on February 6, 2023 AD. There is talk about the importance of observing the earthquake-resistant building system in countries that lie on the earthquake line, including some countries in the Middle East, Japan and others.
It should be noted that the earthquake that occurred in southern Turkey occurred in a place where no earthquake had occurred for hundreds of years, meaning that the buildings there are often old buildings in which earthquake safety rules were not applied because an earthquake was not expected in that part of the earth.
As the Turkish government began measures to prevent building damage as a result of natural disasters after the 1999 earthquake, meaning that the matter differs in Istanbul and its neighboring cities from what it is in the south, and it differs, of course, in newly constructed buildings, that is, after the issuance of the decision to establish the Association for Protection from Natural Disasters DASk.
Construction companies in Turkey have recently tended to implement earthquake protection rules with the help of construction engineers and experts who have concluded a set of controls that must be applied during construction in order to avoid harm to the building and the population. It is noticeable that the municipalities in Istanbul are very interested in this matter and follow-up on all buildings and conduct a routine examination of all buildings In the city through engineers and experts who track the residential communities and conduct accurate analyzes of the soil and the building based on it, then they issue the results of their analysis of the extent to which the building can withstand in the event of possible earthquakes, and based on these results, the building can be left if it has the ability to bear, and if the results prove Not tolerating subsequent earthquakes, the municipality demolishes the building and constructs a new building in its place, taking into account safety conditions. Of course, apartment owners get new apartments.
Therefore, in order to avoid repeated losses, construction companies in Turkey apply the following standards in construction:
First: Adopting a strong structure construction system
This means establishing a building with strong columns in order to distribute the earthquake force towards it, which reduces pressure on other parts of the building and makes the building’s response to the earthquake vertical, giving this method a strong support for the building, knowing that, according to experts, the towers in which this method is followed are more resistant to earthquakes than buildings of lower height.
Second: suitable basis for earthquake resistance:
The building is constructed on a flexible, i.e. soft basis, where the building sways with this foundation without falling, and this method is taken from Japan, where it proved successful in times of disasters.
And these foundations are separated from the floor of the building in the event that if an earthquake occurs, only the supports move and the building remains steadfast.
Third: the water drainage system:
There is no doubt that any water leakage near the foundations of the building exposes the building to great danger in the event of an earthquake. Therefore, water drainage systems are applied in a way that is far from the building, which protects it from exposure to danger during an earthquake.
Fourth: the pendulum system:
They are pillars distributed on the surface of the building in order to stabilize the building during an earthquake, reduce its movement and calm it in the event of an earthquake. These pendulums or dampers are applied by professionals and technically trained.
Fifth: the use of soft building materials:
Among the most famous of these materials at the present time is the material (construction steel), which is a soft material that absorbs shocks and is considered safe and earthquake-resistant, unlike the common building materials such as bricks, which are not classified among the earthquake-resistant building materials because of their hardness.

On the sixth of this February, the world woke up to the shocking news of an earthquake that struck Turkey and large areas of Syria, leaving great destruction in the infrastructure and residential homes, and thousands of innocent people from both countries were killed, and this number is expected to increase every minute because there are thousands trapped under the rubble waiting for the arrival of the rescue teams that strive Since the first hours, to meet the distress calls of thousands of stranded people, but the massive destruction in the roads and buildings makes it more difficult than the mind might imagine, as the matter amounts to a humanitarian disaster in every sense of the word.
Every minute there is a person trapped under the rubble who loses his life in a country that is considered one of the world's strongest countries, such as Turkey, which has strong infrastructure and an advanced economy, and organizations qualified and trained in such environmental disasters, let alone a country like Syria that has been under war for twelve years.
As for Syria, which is currently divided into areas of different control. All parties are suffering from poverty, homelessness and cold, as a result of the war, and the winter season, which in itself is considered an annual situation for which humanitarian organizations mobilize due to the lack of fuel or even its absence, and the displacement of thousands and their need for the minimum they need. Humans in order to survive. The intensity of the earthquake was more severe in the regions of northern Syria, due to its proximity to the epicenter of the devastating earthquake, which had an intensity of 7'9 on the Richter scale, so entire buildings were wiped out and leveled to the ground.
Turkey is the only outlet for humanitarian aid to these areas, and Turkey, the northern neighbor of these affected areas, has contributed to its humanitarian support since the beginning of the war there.
And because Turkey is suffering from the consequences of the devastating earthquake in ten cities that were classified as affected cities currently, and the Turkish President declared a state of emergency there for a period of three months. For these reasons, the matter has worsened in the liberated northern regions of Syria.
It also prompted the residents there to rely on their own efforts with their tools and experiences that they gained during the years of war, and to extract those trapped under the rubble of the bombing - and the White Helmets team is the only trained body currently operating in those areas, despite the scale of the disaster that leveled hundreds of buildings to the ground.
Many countries of the world have responded to the appeal of those affected and extended a helping hand to Turkey by sending teams specialized in rescue and recovery of victims since the first hours of the earthquake.
Search operations are still ongoing in an effort to save the lives of those trapped under the rubble in both countries.