In the Fethiye-Seydikemer Professional Organizations Power Union Platform, where the Fethiye Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTSO) is the secretariat, Muğla Province Emergency Action Plan, possible earthquake scenarios, and what to do before and during the earthquake were discussed.
Fethiye and Seydikemer Professional Organizations Unity Platform convened at the FTSO Meğri Hall on Thursday, March 2, 2023 under the chairmanship of Birol Keski, the Fethiye Branch Representative of the Chamber of City Planners.
In the meeting with wide participation, the events experienced in the earthquakes that took place on February 6, 2023, the epicenter of which were Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş and affecting 11 provinces, were evaluated, and how prepared Fethiye and Seydikemer were for the earthquake, deficiencies and what needed to be done were discussed. Fethiye Neighborhood Disaster Volunteers Emergency Response Team (MAG) and AKUT teams, who went to earthquake zones from Fethiye and participated in search and rescue efforts, shared their experiences with the participants. At the meeting, where the Muğla Province Urgent Action Plan was also discussed, views were exchanged on the building stock, the status of the buildings constructed after the building inspection law, the status of the inspection and emergency assembly areas, and informing the public.
One-stop disaster management should be prepared
In the meeting, where the building analysis reports prepared after the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that affected 6 provinces last February 11 were examined, the impressions of the search and rescue teams that went to the region were listened. It was agreed that the Fethiye Disaster Action Plan should be prepared as soon as possible and the necessary actions for disaster management should be done without losing time.
Explaining that the emergency assembly and temporary accommodation areas should be determined and announced to the public, the participants emphasized the importance of equipping the shelters with toilets, electricity, water and emergency response materials independent of the city's infrastructure. In the evaluation of search and rescue activities; It was emphasized that adding expert names such as health and structural engineers to the teams could provide great benefits.
Underlining that the establishment of a volunteer search and rescue team in each neighborhood by informing the public, under the leadership of the headmen, could provide great benefits in the first days of the earthquake when the expert teams had difficulty in reaching the region, the participants said that as if a major earthquake had occurred in Fethiye, a comprehensive plan should be created by determining the roads to be deteriorated and the areas that could be damaged, and conducting exercises. highlighted its importance.
50 percent of the structures in Fethiye were built after 2011.
Another agenda item of the meeting was Fethiye's building stock and illegal construction. Stating that only 11 percent of the buildings subject to building inspection were demolished in 1 provinces affected by the earthquake, the participants underlined that in some provinces, construction inspection practices were activated in different years and underlined that 99 percent of the destroyed buildings were old buildings that were not subject to construction inspection. Stating that 50 percent of the buildings in Fethiye are subject to building inspection rules after 2011, the participants noted that this number coincides with approximately 6 thousand buildings. Pointing out that the building stock before 2011 should be reviewed first in the next period, the participants agreed that illegal construction should be stopped in the absolute process.
Çıralı: “We must form a union of forces on the earthquake”
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Osman Çıralı, Chairman of the FTSO Board of Directors, stated that they wanted to act together with institutions, organizations and NGOs in terms of measures to be taken regarding the earthquake, and said that as the Chamber, they were ready to show the necessary self-sacrifice.
Emphasizing that the demands should be voiced together and with a strong voice in order to prepare Fethiye and Seydikemer for an earthquake, Mayor Çıralı said, “We hope this painful experience will be a milestone for us. An awareness has been created in our country and in our district, which is in the 1st degree earthquake zone, but we want to work on strengthening our building stock and meeting our needs without forgetting. Our Fethiye Seydikemer Collaboration Platform is a powerful platform consisting of 19 NGOs, where all of our NGOs carry out the term presidency on a rotating basis. By submitting the reports and requests prepared separately by our NGOs to our institutions together, we can form a union of forces on the issue of earthquakes.” he said.
The meeting was attended by FTSO Chairman Osman Çıralı, TÜRSAB Western Mediterranean Regional Representative President Özgen Uysal, Fethiye Chamber of Craftsmen and Craftsmen Mehmet Soydemir, Fethiye District Governor's Office Director of Tourism Information Bureau Saffet Dündar, Youth and Sports Manager Harun Reşit Yiğit, District Registrar Necla Yıldız. , Fethiye Municipality Council Member and Fethiye City Council Secretary General Gözde Gürsoy Hoşafçı, FTSO Vice President Muhammet Kökten, IMEAK Chamber of Shipping Fethiye Branch Deputy Chairman Ali Kaçar, FTSO Board Member Electrical Engineers Chamber Head of Fethiye Branch Veli Önver, FTSO Secretary General Ezgi Kullukçu, Chamber of Civil Engineers Fethiye and Muğla Branch Representatives Levent Çimen and Hüseyin Kaya, Chamber of Survey Engineers Fethiye Representative Birol Güner, Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Fethiye Representative Mustafa Tunç, Chamber of Geophysics Engineers Fethiye Representative Ergin Erçetin, Fethiye Chamber of Agriculture Representative Gökçen Güven, Architects Chamber Fethiye Representative Günay Solak, Turkish Red Crescent Fethiye Branch Representative Arif Koçyiğit, Fethiye Municipality Disaster Management Technician Tuncer Dur, AKUT Fethiye Operations Center Representative İsmail Madak and their officials Alp Yiğitler and Dilek Yiğitler, Fethiye Neighborhood Disaster Volunteers Emergency Response Team (MAG) Officer Ercan Kolcu and Mehmet Ali Polat attended.