The extent of the damage caused by the earthquake, which has been described as the catastrophe of the century in Turkish history, is becoming clearer day by day.
What we saw and what happened before our eyes deserves to be described as the greatest catastrophe not only for a century, but perhaps for many centuries to come.
The number of victims of the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has reached 40,000, and the number is expected to rise further.
It is known that Turkey is located in the earthquake zone, as there have been very destructive earthquakes in Antakya throughout history, and the lack of an earthquake for a long time was very worrying, as it was predicted and predicted for a long time.
However;
No matter how much he expected, there was no way he could tell his exact whereabouts or how much damage he might cause.
In the earthquake that affected 15 million people directly and indirectly;
Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed, highways cracked, and major landslides occurred in some farmlands.
From the first hours, all the ministers in the ten afflicted states dispersed, took over the organization of disaster management, thus making the citizens feel that the state is on their side.
President Erdoğan led all his work from the Disaster and Emergency Management Center in Ankara on the first day
This catastrophe of the century also reveals the long effort and organization in combating disasters, as there is a wonderful disaster management established by the state, in which all its elements joined forces and presented and are still presenting a heroic act that Turkish history will not forget.
Despite the presence of the state in the field with all its institutions and officials, what is much more important is that the solidarity and massive mobilization of the Turkish people with all its members draws attention;
The Turkish people always show solidarity and unity at critical times, and we saw an example of that on the night of the failed coup on July 15, 2016.
In fact, we also have countless examples of campaigns of great assistance to the Turkish people in wars and disasters that occur abroad from time to time.
In the past, it has recorded the mobilization or mobilization of humanitarian aid to Bosnia, Palestine, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Kashmir, and most recently Syria;
The Turks, both as a people and as a state, are the largest providers of humanitarian aid in the world in recent times.
Before the last earthquake, Turkey experienced many disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and fires during the past 20 years, and gained exceptional experience in all of these events.
But the magnitude of the earthquake that we are facing today cannot be compared to what happened before until now.
However, the experiences provided by the Disaster Management have worked well in the face of this earthquake.
The magnitude, intensity and spread of the earthquake, which struck 10 states and all cities therein, necessitated the intervention of tens of thousands of points or locations at the same time.
So;
It was not possible to meddle in all of these points at once, and it was evident that there would have been some missteps on this matter in the beginning.
However, one of the reasons for these pitfalls is that there was a heavy snow and rain storm in most parts of Turkey on the day of the earthquake, especially on the roads leading to the earthquake area.
Moreover, with the closure of some roads connected to the quake zones, there were some obstacles in delivering aid at the first moment.
However, the obstacles were not related to the absence of relief work, but rather to the search for a way to organize in light of the bad weather conditions and the scale of the disaster.
In a short time, all aids were organized under the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), and the largest intervention, rescue and assistance organization against the largest disaster in Turkey's history emerged.
From the first hours, all the ministers in the ten afflicted states dispersed, took over the organization of disaster management, thus making the citizens feel that the state is on their side.
President Erdoğan led all his work from the Disaster and Emergency Management Center in Ankara on the first day, and from the third day he visited the entire disaster area for 5 consecutive days, visiting two cities every day.
Erdogan, along with his wife, Mrs. Emine, who accompanied him during his visits, met privately with the families of the disaster victims, and offered condolences and sympathy to them.
According to the daily data issued by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, about 35,000 search and rescue personnel are working in the field, and 35 governors or governors, 133 local administrators, 19 senior managers in the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, and 68 district directors have been appointed.
Nearly 250,000 civil servants, including those from 71 other provinces in Turkey, are participating in relief work in the quake zone.
in addition to;
12,235 drilling machines, 76 aircraft, 121 helicopters, 26 ships and 45 drones were directed to the earthquake zone.
In addition, 320 mobile kitchens belonging to various institutions have been provided, which distribute hot meals in the area on a daily basis.
Where the Red Crescent alone distributes 20 million meals of hot food, the number of bread distributed has reached 22 million loaves, and 15.5 million bottles of drinking water.
As for the Turkish Armed Forces, it is already operating in the earthquake zone with a strength of 25,067 personnel, with 9,780 experts and 625 tons of materials sent to the respective points by 707 sorties from 63 aircraft so far.
There is no doubt that this disaster management is now doing a very successful job, but at the same time it cannot be sufficient to bring back those who have lost their lives, and this is the bad side of the disaster.
However;
The state's top priority is to make its citizens feel that it stands with them in this disaster, and that it will always be at their side and at their service.
As for the opposition in Turkey, it wants to hold the government responsible for this disaster.
Of course, no one can be the cause of the earthquake, but the claim that no action will be taken against the expected earthquake is the most important statement that the opposition is holding on to now.
There are always criticisms to be made of it not hitting all the points right away from the first minutes.
But there can be no country and organization in the world that can intervene simultaneously in the multiple areas of this disaster.
Another criticism is based on the claim that a large part of the destroyed buildings were built during the 20 years - that is, during the AKP's rule - and were not built according to earthquake regulations, or were not inspected by the government.
Unfortunately, this claim is widely spread abroad, and those who are angry with Erdogan cling to this claim as if they have found something to corner him.
This claim can be disproved upon first examination of the destroyed buildings.
It turns out that nearly 98% of the destroyed buildings were built before 1999. In addition;
It is now known that the governmental Housing Authority (TOKI) buildings, which number around 150,000 in these areas and were built during the AKP era, were not damaged at all.
However, for Turkey, the earthquake not only destroyed things, but also may have provided an opportunity to rebuild some things in Turkey.
Indeed;
All earthquakes provide such opportunities, despite their catastrophic dimensions.