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Miracle of life. To survive three nights in the dark, I live buried under tons of concrete rubble. Then the applause that goes like a whisper among the lifeguards, family members and observers. Elif, a three-year-old girl, is well preserved. Live through thick and thin.
It is not really possible to describe the overwhelming feelings that arise there on the spot when a person is taken out of the racial masses and carried on a stretcher. But it seems that all humanity has been saved.
At the same time, it is horribly horrifying to see the haunted eyes of those whose relatives still remain under the racial masses.
During an ongoing rescue operation in one of the Izmir ruins, I heard a young woman ask rescuers: “Have you heard any signs of life from my sister below?”
The warnings were issued ten years ago.
Rescue workers are now hailed as heroes in Turkey. With right. His quick and well-organized efforts have saved many lives. With search dogs and advanced equipment, they keep as many as they can.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the preventive efforts to control buildings sensitive to strong earthquakes in Turkey.
Ten years ago, warnings were issued for several of the buildings that are now collapsing in Izmir. Still, people can stay and nothing was done to renovate the houses.
Turkey is heavily affected by earthquakes, as the continental plates are in very densely populated areas. However, the construction industry or homeowners have never been held responsible for the widespread negligence.
When more than 17,000 people died in the great earthquake on the outskirts of Istanbul in 1999, it was said that nothing would be the same. The current president Erdogan came to power in part thanks to the wave of discontent that arose against the current government.
“Human lives are wasted through carelessness”
After more than 500 people died in the Van earthquake in eastern Turkey in 2011, tough measures were once again promised against fraudulent and substandard construction.
But still, it remains uncontrolled. Until last year, seismic inspections were carried out by private companies, which in many cases were owned by the construction companies that were to be inspected.
Turkey regularly grants amnesty for the construction of houses built illegally, which in practice acts as a political lubricant.
The opposition is now criticizing the Erdogan government for lack of control. But it must be said that even previous governments suffered from the same inability to tackle the problem.
It is indescribably sad that so many human lives are carelessly wasted. In Izmir, I met a mother of two who now sleeps in the car because she doesn’t dare to go back to her apartment. He wonders why so many die in Turkey but not in Japan, despite equally strong earthquakes. A question that endures.
