Turkey earthquake: Better building standards would have saved lives

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Earthquakes cannot be prevented nor predicted. If a category 5 hurricane approaches, evacuations are possible; There can be time to move to a safe area before the volcano’s pyroclastic flow sweeps away everything in its path. But when the earth shakes, it never comes with a warning. Even in the most technologically prepared countries, there are usually only seconds to alert operating theaters and stop trains before devastation strikes.

It is safe to say that Turkey and war-torn Syria are far from the most prepared countries. The death toll from the February earthquakes is approaching 50,000, and is expected to rise further with untold numbers still missing. The damage continues, with more deaths this week from strong aftershocks that collapsed buildings that survived the initial tremors. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was “impossible to prepare” for a catastrophe of this magnitude.

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