How the Turkey earthquake response failed

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More than 37,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured as a result of the devastating earthquakes that struck northwest Syria and Turkey on February 6.

The earthquakes – the world’s deadliest since Japan’s Fukushima in 2011 – caused more than 5,600 buildings to collapse across southeastern Turkey, leaving people homeless, desperate for food, blankets and fuel to leave the city and seek safety. 10 provinces in Turkey are currently under a state of emergency for the next three months.

The Turkish government has received criticism for its response to the disasters – or lack thereof. In the hours after the disaster, no military forces were sent to the affected areas, leaving the people to fend for themselves. Several residents reportedly tried to contact the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), but were unable to do so successfully.

Albara Haddad, a 27-year-old Syrian cinematographer in the hard-hit Turkish city of Antakya, called the government’s response “shocking,” saying there had been minimal professional rescue teams or equipment from the government in the first two and a half days. . Haddad says many family members who managed to get out of buildings during the quake stayed behind to wait for emergency response teams to arrive and help rescue family members still alive under the rubble.

“You could hear people still alive in the rubble, trying to scream and say they were alive, but there was absolutely no one helping at that moment,” Haddad told TIME.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan acknowledged his government’s shortcomings in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, saying that “it is not possible to prepare for such a disaster”. The government initially had problems with airports and roads, but promised that things were now “under control”.

But that hasn’t stopped critics from pointing out that in the days following the earthquakes, Erdogan seemed focused on censorship and political goals. Here are the three biggest criticisms of the government’s response efforts and its preparation so far:

Restrict access to Twitter

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, people took to social media to share their locations, hoping rescue efforts would arrive soon. When no one did, many criticized the Turkish government for its poor response to disasters, sharing photos and videos of what was happening on the ground.

Turkey then temporarily blocked Twitter for 12 hours from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, largely limiting contact of survivors on the ground with others.

ANKARA, TURKEY – FEBRUARY 14: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes remarks at the center’s headquarters in Ankara, Turkey on February 14, 2023.

Khalil Saqr Kaya – Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

Erdogan, who is seeking re-election in May, said he blocked access to the platform to prevent the spread of disinformation and expressed his anger at the criticism the Turkish government has faced. “In such a period, I cannot bear the fierce negative campaigns for the sake of simple political interests,” Erdogan said.

In October, Turkey passed a law that it claimed “criminalizes the spread of disinformation”. But the Brookings Institution report reveals that the law is already serving as a way for the government to moderate social media platforms. People can be sentenced to up to five years in prison for spreading false information that “confuses[s] Turkey’s internal and external security” or “public order”.

The decision to restrict Twitter is reminiscent of similar circumstances in 2014, when the platform was previously banned after it published leaked audio recordings of Erdogan ordering his son to transfer millions of dollars in cash out of the home when he learned authorities were raiding politicians. Role.

carry out the arrests

On Wednesday, Turkish authorities announced that they had arrested five people and detained 18 others for “provocative publications” related to the earthquake, according to the Wall Street Journal. Law enforcement said they have also identified more than 200 social media accounts that have posted about the fallout from this natural disaster, likely criticizing the government for its response.

Many questioned why the authorities prioritized arrests and shut down Twitter during a period of great devastation.

“Twitter has been an absolute lifeline in the aftermath of the earthquakes, both for rescue workers calling for help and coordinating the provision of rescue equipment, and for those searching for lost loved ones,” said Alp Töcker, director of internet monitoring group Netblocks. Washington Post. “There is no clear alternative to fill the void.”

neglected infrastructure practices

Turkey, which lies between two tectonic plates, has suffered from earthquakes for centuries, although this disaster is one of the strongest to affect the country since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 17,000 people.

This earthquake prompted the Turkish government to introduce an earthquake tax and improve building standards to better prepare for earthquakes. But experts told TIME that many new buildings were not built to code, and older buildings did not meet the standard set.

In terms of regulations, Turkey has the latest code in [the building] Dr. H. said. Kate Miyamoto, Structural Engineer at Miyamoto International. “It’s the application where we have big problems. For both capacity building and consistency of regulation.”

Miyamoto told TIME that because construction is such a big industry in Turkey, the government often turns a blind eye to regulation. And the economic differences between eastern and western Turkey mean that infrastructure standards have also differed greatly, making the affected region more vulnerable to earthquakes and aftershocks.

This affected the medical care that people were able to receive in the aftermath of the earthquakes, as at least two maternity centers were evacuated with MSF support, due to the risk of collapse, with many others completely destroyed.

The lack of respect for the safety of buildings has angered thousands, sparking public anger that Erdogan is trying to avoid.

“It is not safe at all. The city here is completely destroyed. Basically there is not a single building that is not affected by this,” Haddad said. “Even if the building remains standing, it is still not safe to live in it.”

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