Construction engineers from Alanya pointed out buildings built before 2000: it's not earthquakes, but dilapidated buildings that kill
Alanya Construction Engineers Draw Attention to Buildings Built Before 2000: Earthquakes Don’t Kill, Crumbling Buildings Do
The Representative of the Chamber of Civil Engineers Alanya, Emrah Yılmaz, made a written statement regarding the earthquake that occurred yesterday at 10:13 PM, with its epicenter in Gazipaşa, which was also felt in Alanya, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority's data.
In his statement, Emrah Yılmaz, who is located 73.72 kilometers away from Gazipaşa and at a depth of 34.79 kilometers, said, “We all felt the earthquake that occurred off the coast of Alanya last night, and we were worried. Our country is in an earthquake zone, and we should get used to living with earthquakes. Alanya is not an earthquake zone, and the idea that earthquakes do not happen here is incorrect. Earthquakes happen, and they will continue to happen. We can protect ourselves from earthquakes with earthquake-resistant buildings. As Civil Engineers, we design earthquake-resistant projects in Alanya according to the earthquake regulations. These buildings are controlled by Building Inspections during the construction process to ensure they meet the project specifications. The Building Inspection system is set up to ensure that buildings are constructed to withstand earthquakes. During the earthquakes on February 6, buildings that received Building Inspection services performed well. I believe there is no reason for citizens living in Building Inspection approved buildings to be worried. The biggest problem in Alanya is the large number of buildings constructed before 2000. The earthquake resistance of these buildings is an issue that needs to be investigated. Occasionally, we see news about old buildings that collapse even without an earthquake. Such buildings are also present in Alanya. Risky buildings need to be identified. Urban transformation must speed up in Alanya, and old buildings should be rebuilt to be earthquake-resistant. We observe that citizens avoid urban transformation because they do not want their apartment sizes to shrink. Nothing is more important than safety. Therefore, citizens should be sensitive to earthquakes, have their buildings inspected, and if necessary, apply for strengthening or urban transformation. Another issue we observe in Alanya buildings is the damage to the structural system of buildings under the name of simple renovations. Even if a building is built after 2000, if its structural system is damaged, it may not be resistant to earthquakes. We see that renovations without engineering services often damage columns and beams, floors are cut to add stairs or cargo lifts, and steel awnings are welded to the building columns at ground-floor shops. These types of renovations, made without engineering services, negatively affect the earthquake resistance of buildings. I recommend that citizens not allow such renovations without engineering services in the buildings they live in. As Civil Engineers, we are constantly working in coordination with public institutions and organizations for an earthquake-resistant Alanya, and we will continue to do so. However, in order to create an earthquake-resistant Alanya, all citizens need to be sensitive to earthquakes. Earthquakes don't kill, crumbling buildings do. And crumbling buildings can only be made earthquake-resistant through strengthening or urban transformation".
