At OTSA's ninth Turkey Now! session, we will focus on the Turkey-Syria earthquakes of February 6 that claimed the lives of more than 45,000 people (as of February 17). There are no words to express the sorrow of the millions of people in Syria and Turkey who lost their loved ones, homes, and belongings. We will explore such issues as the history of earthquakes in Turkey, the impact of amnesties issued on faulty buildings, the problems in enforcing newer building regulations, the political obstacles that stopped the Turkish parliament from passing legislation that would outlaw building on top of fault lines, the problems encountered in rescue efforts after the earthquakes, the effectiveness of the government's initial response, and the impact of all of this on the--hopefully still--upcoming elections. We will also share some of the experiences of Turkish-Americans who went to the earthquake zone to help their families, touch upon the Syrian experience both in Syria and Turkey, discuss the impact of the earthquake on cultural heritage, including archaeological sites, manuscript collections, and libraries, and highlight the work done by our colleagues in Research Institute on Turkey in fundraising. Our panelists include (in alphabetical order of their last names) Yusuf Atay (a Turkish-American who went to Samandağ to help his family right after the earthquake), Metin Atmaca (Social Sciences University of Ankara), Bülent Batuman (Bilkent University), Eylem Delikanlı (Research Institute on Turkey), Fahri Dikkaya (TED University), Caroline Finkel (the author of, among many other titles, The seismicity of Turkey and adjacent areas: a historical review, 1500-1800), Ayfer Karakaya (William & Mary), and Cihan Tuğal (University of California, Berkeley). Garo Paylan (Member of Parliament for HDP, representing Diyarbakır) is expected to make a guest appearance as well.
From the Earthquakes to the Disaster: Understanding February 6 in Context
