The Turkish city of Izmir is struggling with the damage caused by a severe earthquake.

On October 30th 2020, an earthquake hit Turkey and its closely neighboring country Greece. This earthquake in Turkey occurred in the epicenter of the Greek island of Samos open in Turkey's Izmir province, 23 km from Seferihisar district. The Earthquake lasted about 16 seconds and was measured at a magnitude of 6.9 on the  Richter scale according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. So far there have been 79 casualties. This is the latest in a long line of earthquakes in Turkey including two in 1999 that killed 18,000.

Damage Caused by the Earthquake

Additional earthquakes and tsunamis have been caused by the earthquake in Turkey's Aegean region. The tremors were felt across western Turkey, including in Istanbul, as well as in the Greek capital of Athens. Some 1,700 aftershocks followed 45 of which were greater than 4.0 magnitude. In Izmir, the quake reduced entire buildings to rubble or saw floors pancake in on themselves. Authorities have detained nine people, including contractors, for questioning over the collapse of six of the buildings. According to a statement made by the AFAD, a total of 116 people, including one as a result of drowning in Turkey have died and 1,034 people were injured. Many buildings were demolished in İzmir's Bayraklı and Bornova districts. In Greece, 2 people died and 19 were injured, and the Virgin Mary Church on Samos Island was destroyed. 

Expert’s Opinions

Seismologist Prof. Dr. Akis Tselentis said in a statement that he was expecting a tsunami that was much larger than the earthquake that took place on October 30 and that waves exceeding 1 meter would occur due to this earthquake. "Trust us and the seismologists here, there may be earthquakes over 5.8 at any time in the region, and act accordingly, take your precaution, we must be ready to face a very strong earthquake in the region," he said. 

Earthquake expert Prof. Naci Görür said that the earthquake in İzmir made the city more "troubled". He also stated that this earthquake may have activated 17 faults under Izmir. Görür argues that identity cards of all buildings should be issued. He recommends that all information, from its foundation to the material used, from the architect to the contractor, be written on the identity card. A report was prepared to cover the results of the works carried out within the scope of the protocol signed between Izmir Metropolitan Municipality and Boğaziçi University. 

The subject of the study is the research, compilation, evaluation, and consultancy services related to the preparation of an Earthquake Scenario and Master Plan, which includes the determination of earthquake damages that may occur in the city of Izmir and the determination of measures to reduce these damages

How to Help

If you would like to help people effected by this tragedy, please visit akut.org.tr/en. The website for the Turkish non governmental organization AKUT (Search and Rescue Organization). They are providing aid to victims of the earthquake as well as conducting rescue missions. 

Bibliography 

“30 Ekim 2020 Mw=6.9 Ege Denizi – İzmir Depremi.” B.Ü. KRDAE Bölgesel Deprem-Tsunami İzleme Ve Değerlendirme Merkezi, www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/sismo/2/30-ekim-2020-mw6-9-ege-denizi-izmir-depremi/

Al Jazeera. “Turkey Quake Toll Rises to 116 as Rescuers Conclude Searches.” Turkey | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 4 Nov. 2020, www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/4/quake-toll-rises-to-116-in-turkey-as-rescuers-conclude-searches

Berkeley, UC. “Seismo Blog.” Destruction in the Eastern Aegean Sea, seismo.berkeley.edu/blog/2020/10/30/destruction-in-the-eastern-aegean-sea.html

BBC. “Earthquake Hits Greece and Turkey, Bringing Deaths and Floods.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Oct. 2020, www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54749509

“Izmir Earthquake Rapid Assessment Report November 2020 - Turkey.” ReliefWeb, reliefweb.int/report/turkey/izmir-earthquake-rapid-assessment-report-november-2020

Kokkinidis, Tasos. “Tasos Kokkinidis.” News from Greece, 30 Oct. 2020, greece.greekreporter.com/2020/10/30/samos-%CE%B5arthquake-was-%CE%BCain-%CF%84remor-but-%CE%B1ftershocks-will-follow-scientists-say/

Sözcü. “Prof. Dr. Naci Görür: İzmir'deki Deprem Beklenen Deprem Değil.” Sözcü, 1 Nov. 2020, www.sozcu.com.tr/2020/gundem/prof-dr-naci-gorur-izmirdeki-deprem-beklenen-deprem-degil-6107441/