Turkey: Earthquake [OFDA-02: 18-Aug-99]
Turkey: Earthquake [OFDA-02: 18-Aug-99]
U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
TURKEY - Earthquake
Factsheet # 2 August 18, 1999
Background: On August 17 at 3:02 a.m. local time, an earthquake lasting 45
seconds hit Izmit, Turkey, an industrial city of one million in western
Turkey, approximately 55 miles east-southeast of Istanbul. (Note: U.S.
scientists initially reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8
on the Richter scale, but they acknowledged later yesterday that its
intensity might be downgraded to as low as 7.4 as additional measurements
are taken into account). More than 300 aftershocks were reported, some
running as high as 4.2 to 4.5 on the Richter scale. Initial reports
indicate that the major areas affected include various districts of
Istanbul and provinces of Izmit (Kocaeli), Adapazari (Sakarya), Yalova,
Bursa, Eskishir, and Bolu to east and southeast of Istanbul. The
Government of Turkey (GOT) also reports that Turkey's main navel base at
Golcuk was hard-hit. Geophysicists at the U.S. National Earthquake
Information Center described the quake as one of the most powerful
re!corded in the 20th century, nearly rivaling the 7.9- magnitude temblor
that devastated San Francisco in 1906. It was felt as far east as Ankara,
200 miles away, and across parts of the Balkans.
Numbers Affected: Estimates of the death toll vary. Agence France Presse
quotes the Turkish Health Minister Osman Durmus as saying that more than
3,000 people died in the earthquake; CNN reports 2,400 deaths as of 10:00
EDT 18 August. The semi-official Anatolia news agency, quoting the prime
minister's crisis center, set the overall death toll at 2,160 and the
number of injured at more than 13,000. The number injured and death toll
are expected to rise as search and rescue teams remove the rubble. Izmit
was hardest hit with 480 dead and 200 injured; Istanbul has reported 157
dead and 3,726 injured; Yalova province sustained 220 deaths and 500
injured persons, and Adapazari has reported 500 dead and 600 injured. As
many as 10,000 people could still be trapped in rubble around the town of
Golcuk, 80 miles southeast of Istanbul, according to the town's mayor.
Current Situation: The GOT's crisis management team is not releasing
details on damage to infrastructure or progress in restoring electricity
and communications grids. Press sources report that electricity is being
restored piecemeal; Anatolian press agency also reports, however, that the
main east-west transmission line collapsed in the Duzce Prefecture of Bolu
province (150 miles east of Istanbul). Natural gas distribution in some
affected areas has been shut down, not owing to damage to lines but to
avoid leakage or fires in buildings. Authorities evacuated eight villages
near the town of Altinova, 175 miles southwest of Istanbul, because of a
leak at a damaged natural gas station there. The number of evacuees from
the villages is not yet clear.
Although central Istanbul was largely spared -- including no visible
damage to historical sites in Istanbul -- CNN reports that dozens of
buildings in Istanbul collapsed, including a military barracks with as
many as 200 troops trapped inside. In addition, the outskirts of the city
revealed the potential hazards of hastily built communities. With water
lines and power cut to wide areas, health officials worried Tuesday about
diseases and possible epidemics. To the southeast of Istanbul, the
devastation was near total in some places. With inoperable communication
facilities, no electricity, and impassable roads in some areas,
international rescue teams may face logistical problems in attempts to
reach remote villages and Istanbul shantytowns.
U.S. Government Response: The U.S. Government has responded with an
immediate deployment of a Disaster Assessment and Response Team (DART)
composed of four persons and a USAID-supported 70-person search and rescue
team from Fairfax County Fire Department. USAID has also seconded an
eight-person team to assist the United Nations Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA) in creating a disaster coordination
unit.
In addition, an initial $25,000 was given to the Turkish Red Crescent for
assistance. USAID will send a disaster epidemiologist today and a water
and sanitation expert to join the DART team in the next few days.
Relief Efforts: The Turkish Coordination Council for Relief, operating
under the leadership of the Prime Minister, is overseeing all relief
operations in the affected region being carried out by national forces,
Turkish Red Crescent, and volunteers. CNN reports that the Turkish
military had taken over rescue efforts in many areas, bringing in
helicopters and heavy equipment to move heavy beams from collapsed
buildings. Turkish authorities have said their priorities are search and
rescue teams (including sniffer dogs), rehydration supplies, and medical
teams and field hospitals. GOT has indicated no need for tents or
blankets at this time. UNOCHA has activated its Disaster Response System,
which includes establishing the United Nations Disaster Assessment and
Coordination (UNDAC) team and an On-Site Operations Coordination Center
(OSOCC), as well as alerting the International Search and Rescue Advisory
Group (INSARAG).
Assistance reportedly on the way as of 10:00 local time on 18 August
consists of the following:
- United Kingdom: 40-person search and rescue team
- France: 60-person search and rescue team and 15 tons of material
- Germany: search and rescue team and sniffer dogs
- Israel: search and rescue team and emergency supplies
- Switzerland: disaster assessment team, with 100 search and rescue
specialists on stand-by
- Japan: 18-member and 20-member search and rescue teams and a medical
team with medical supplies
- Russia: EMERCOM IL-76 aircraft with search and rescue teams and medical
staff
- Romania: its search and rescue team is on stand-by
- Italy: in cooperation with UNOCHA and WHO, is preparing for the dispatch
of an aircraft with survival goods from the UNOCHA Warehouse in Pisa
- Austria: dispatching a search and rescue team of 60 persons, including
12 dog handlers and medical unit
- Egypt: sent 34 tons of emergency medical and food assistance, as well as
special search equipment and tents for homeless quake survivors
distributed by
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