This aerial video[i]
at Antakya, Hatay Province, Turkey shows the massive devastation of the buildings.
Horrific but also raises questions. Why did so many buildings totally collapse
but others still stand? This is a valid question since the earthquake in just
in Hatay Province has claimed more than 3,300 [ii]
lives.
Earthquake is known as natural hazard since these areas already have had earthquake before. For instance, the 1999 Izmir, Turkey earthquake caused more than 17.000 deaths. Hence, they have building regulations so that when the earthquake does occur people can be saved with buildings and infrastructures still intact. By seeing the footage at least, we can suspect the cause of the disaster. There should be a back-and-forth investigation not only from the engineering side but also from the policy that local authorities might impose during the construction period and building services period.
Second, the Building Code and imposing the regulation. This is the role of the national government and local authorities. Does the government update the Building Code regularly to accommodate hazards that just occur recently and the new construction materials and technology? Do the local authorities strictly impose regulations? The problem was up to 75,000 buildings across the affected earthquake zone in southern Turkey have been given construction amnesties provided by the government - effectively legal exemptions for the payment of a fee, for structures built without the required safety certificates.[iii] In this case, the responsible party is the government itself.
Third, the construction vulnerabilities. This is due to poor construction practices caused by substandard material, missing elements in order to save cost, and unable to work on details. The construction failure underwent an earthquake due to people failing to work on details as they have to put on the reinforcement or stiffener. If the structure is properly constructed there are elements intended to absorb the earthquake load. The structure may be broken in particular parts but the whole structure is still intact, and the occupants are safe.
Lastly the usage. Has the building been used according to its classification? Each classification such as residential, storage, and assembly has a specific design load. The building owner or management has to ensure there will be no change in how the occupants use the building. It is a risk if a floor in an apartment that should be used for residence, then it changed for business or storage. Or even worse if they use the top floor as storage which adds a significant load. Such a heavy load on top of the building like this might increase the vulnerabilities of the building under lateral earthquake load. People might ignore these practices since they might think, during the design the engineer already put the load factor and the safety factor. This perception can cause fatal consequences since load factor and safety factor have been added to cover unforeseen aspects and not to cover intentional purposes.
By accurately understanding the cause of massive damages government and aid agencies can deliver their assistance accordingly. This is to bring every party to take the recovery in a more accountable process and to avoid any hustle for swift rebuilding. Quick recovery but without changing the ecosystem to produce buildings and infrastructure that can withstand an earthquake will definitely repeat the same mistake.
[i] https://twitter.com/suraiyajab33n/status/1623718196728455171
[ii] https://www.voanews.com/a/rescuers-search-for-earthquake-survivors-in-turkey-syria-as-death-toll-nears-12-000-/6954867.html
[iii] https://www.bbc.com/news/64568826
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