4.2 magnitude earthquake Gölbaşı, Adıyaman

[Anthea]

The Kurdish mountain is still active:

4.4 magnitude earthquake 7 km from Büyükçat, Hatay
UTC time: Sunday, February 26, 2023 02:26 AM
GMT: Sunday, 26 February 2023 at 02:26 GMT

[Anthea]

What next!?!

4.9 magnitude quake 11 km from Gölbaşı, Adıyaman
UTC time: Monday, February 27, 2023 02:51 AM
GMT: Monday, 27 February 2023 at 02:51 GMT

At least the quakes are few and far between

Remember the 4 original per-quakes were a week apart

Anything could happen

[Anthea]

I retract my previous comment: the quakes are not always few and far between

4.8 magnitude quake 21 km from Celeyke, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Monday, February 27, 2023 06:19 AM
GMT: Monday, 27 February 2023 at 06:19 GMT

5.2 magnitude quake 8 km from Yeşilyurt, Malatya
UTC time: Monday, February 27, 2023 09:04 AM
GMT: Monday, 27 February 2023 at 09:04 GMT

[Anthea]

Earthquake Protection Workshop

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday morning attended a workshop designed to discuss ways to protect the Kurdish region from earthquakes, according to a statement

The workshop comes as a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked both neighboring Turkey and Syria two weeks ago, leaving thousands homeless and killing more than 45,000 people in the affected communities. Thousands of aftershocks have occurred since then, including a strong 6.4-magnitude last night.

An assessment of current building codes with regard to earthquake resistance as well as recommendations to strengthen structures will be highlighted during the workshop, according to a statement from Barzani’s office.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction and the Kurdistan Chapter of the American Concrete Institute, ACI, are hosting the engineering event.

“It will also focus on setting new recommendations, road maps, and building codes to undertake future projects,” the statement added.

While the Kurdistan Region does not sit on major fault lines, like neighboring Turkey, the regional tremors are often felt across its provinces. The latest tremor in Hatay province in Turkey on Monday night caused panic among Duhok residents, as buildings shook in the area.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/30 ... tan-Region

[Anthea]

I feel so sorry for everyone in the earthquake zone

4.4 magnitude earthquake 30 km from Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 14:39 PM
GMT: Tuesday, 28 February 2023 at 14:39 GMT

4.4 magnitude earthquake 23 km from Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 14:49 PM
GMT: Tuesday, 28 February 2023 at 14:49 GMT

4.1 magnitude earthquake 26 km from Nurdağı, Gaziantep
UTC time: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 23:32 PM
GMT: Tuesday, 28 February 2023 at 23:32 GMT

I keep trying to find information but nobody knows what will happen next

People have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst

[Anthea]

Quake-Risky Buildings to Be Replaced

On Tuesday, Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said that Türkiye plans to build new buildings to replace some 1.5 million risky ones in Istanbul for possible strong earthquakes in the future

These residential buildings would be built in two designated areas on the Anatolian and European sides of the city. The move falls into the urban transformation project launched by the Turkish government in the quake-prone Marmara region, the country's industrial powerhouse in the northwest.

The government would also reduce the density of the constructions and strengthen industrial areas against earthquakes, Kurum noted.

Over 44,000 people have died in the recent catastrophic earthquakes in southern Türkiye, evoking public fears in Türkiye that their houses won't withstand the strong shocks.

This is not the first time Istanbul undergoes a transformation project. In the wake of the 1999 Izmit quake, the Turkish government launched a project to replace old buildings in the city.

On Tuesday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that nearly 42,000 Syrian refugees in Türkiye have voluntarily returned to their homeland following the massive earthquakes that caused tremendous destruction in the region.

Türkiye hosts nearly 3.5 million Syrian refugees who fled their country after a civil war erupted in 2011. Nearly half of the refugees have been taking shelter in southern Türkiye which was heavily hit by devastating quakes.

The Turkish government last year banned Syrian refugees with temporary protection permits to make roundtrips between the two neighboring countries to encourage a thorough return to their homeland.

The government has loosened move-around travel restrictions for refugees after the quakes, allowing them to go and stay up to six months in Syria before coming back to Türkiye.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/1.5 ... -0008.html

[Anthea]

An unending nightmare:

4.4 magnitude earthquake Celeyke, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Wednesday, March 01, 2023 02:23 AM
GMT: Wednesday, 1 March 2023 at 02:23 GMT

4.3 magnitude earthquake Tut, Adıyaman
UTC time: Wednesday, March 01, 2023 04:15 AM
GMT: Wednesday, 1 March 2023 at 04:15 GMT

4.7 magnitude earthquake Gunyazi, Hatay
UTC time: Wednesday, March 01, 2023 07:20 AM
GMT: Wednesday, 1 March 2023 at 07:20 GMT

[Anthea]

Half Million Homeless in Kahramanmaras

Türkish President Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference on Tuesday that nearly half a million people have been left homeless in Kahramanmaras province following the devastating earthquakes in early February

"We continue to set up tent cities and shipping container cities in an effort to meet the housing demand of our people," said the President, who added, "We currently shelter 461,000 people in tents, public buildings, dormitories, schools and other places throughout Kahramanmaras."

According to the president, "the process of renovating cities will be accelerated to leave behind once and for all the time when people were trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings," Erdogan said.

The Türkish president also referred to the government's plans to provide new housing within a year to people living in the provinces affected by the February 6 earthquakes.

We will definitely provide our citizens with comfortable, safe and modern buildings where they can live peacefully. We will work by combining our night with our day, and we will definitely keep our promise by Allah's leave.

Strong earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 struck the Kahramanmaras province in southeastern Türkiye on February 6. Syria was also hard hit by the earthquakes, followed by thousands of aftershocks.

The catastrophe caused more than 50 000 deaths between the two countries. In Türkiye, 173 000 buildings collapsed or were severely damaged.

According to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, and 500,000 new homes are needed.

The Turkish government's initial plan is to build 200,000 apartments and 70,000 townhouses at a minimum cost of 15 billion dollars.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Tur ... -0010.html

[Anthea]

Catastrophe for 3.7mln children in Syria

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned on Thursday that 3.7 million Syrian children are facing numerous life-threatening dangers and threats as an aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck both the country and Turkey on February 6

"The children of Syria have already endured unspeakable horror and heartbreak,” she said following a two-day visit to the disaster-stricken areas in Syria.

“Now, these earthquakes and aftershocks not only destroyed more homes, schools and places for children to play, they also shattered any sense of safety for so many of the most vulnerable children and families,” Russell added.

The ongoing 12 year-war on Syria has impacted its children severely and left them suffering from the lack of their basic needs and childhood needs.

The organization's chief visited disaster-stricken areas in Syria, including Aleppo, during which she made a stop at a temporary learning facility established following the earthquake, where over 250 children that are living in mass shelters are offered education and mobile health services, in addition to recreational and physiological activities.

Russell met with a mother of two young girls, aged 10 and 11, who, like thousands of others, have been left without a home after the earthquake.

The mother, Esraa, who is now staying at a Mosque in Al Masharqa, told Russel that her husband went missing during the war, forcing her to raise her daughters on her own.

“During the second earthquake which happened a week ago, my daughter was so scared and stressed that she fainted,” Esraa told Russell, adding that she and her children were shelterless for two days in the cold and rain before resorting to the Mosque.

Esraa and her daughters are now being provided cash assistance from UNICEF.

During her visit to a UNICEF-supported water-pumping station that supplies safe water for nearly two-thirds of Aleppo's residents, Russell stressed that short-term disaster relief aid is not enough, noting that the families must be supported for a longer period to assist them in overcoming the catastrophe.

“It is not enough to simply provide immediate relief – we must commit to standing with these families for the long haul, helping them to regain a sense of stability and hope,” she said. “By providing access to essential services, like safe water, health care, and psychosocial support, we can help children and families heal from the awful experiences they have endured so they can begin to rebuild their lives," she further stressed.

So far, UNICEF was able to provide assistance to over 400,000 people impacted by the earthquake in northwest Syria, and the organization's trucks managed to send humanitarian aid to more than 1.8 million people in that region.

According to UNICEF, almost 173 million dollars are required to send vital life-saving aid for 5.4 million people impacted by the quake, 2.6 million of which are children.

The humanitarian aid will be distributed across highly impacted areas in Syria using all means of entry, including cross-border routes with Turkey.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/mis ... t-syria:-u

[Anthea]

Aid to refugees in Kurdistan

The United Nations’ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that they will do their best to provide more international aid to refugees in the Kurdistan

Speaking to reporters in Erbil on Thursday, Guterres said that the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) remains committed to supporting the Kurdistan Region.

“The UNHCR remains totally committed to supporting the Kurdistan Regional Government in providing the extraordinary solidarity that was provided for those refugees. If we are not doing enough, and probably we are not doing enough, I will do my best to see how we can better mobilise international support to make sure those refugees are properly assisted through UN agencies,” he said when Rudaw’s Payam Sarbast asked about complaints from Syrian and Iranian refugees in the Region about UN aid.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, mostly Kurds, have fled to the Kurdistan Region in the last decade due to civil war at home. The UNHCR has suspended services in many refugee camps, including education, electricity, water and sanitation services.

Many Syrian refugees have complained that they are struggling to make ends meet.

COVID-19 concerns led various organisations responsible for providing critical goods and services to refugees and IDPs to slow down or completely halt their operations.

Decreased funding from donors has led local and international organisations to dedicate their limited resources to dire humanitarian situations.

Guterres also told reporters that he has always been “touched by the generosity and solidarity of the Kurdish people towards those fleeing conflict and catastrophe.”

“I want to express my heartfelt thanks to you for once again extending a helping hand,” he added, referring to the Region’s aid to quake-hit areas in Turkey and Syria.

The Iraqi government has returned several batches of citizens from Syria’s notorious al-Hol camp. These people have been accused of being linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).

Kurdish and US officials in northeast Syria (Rojava) have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their nationals from Syria.

The UN chief praised Iraq for the reparations, calling on others to follow suit.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/020320232

[Anthea]

This is good, quakes are becoming weaker

3.4 magnitude quake 16 km from Yeşilyurt, Malatya
UTC time: Thursday, March 02, 2023 13:35 PM
GMT: Thursday, 2 March 2023 at 13:35 GMT

Not so good, people will be terrified

5.0 magnitude quake 30 km from Göksun, Kahramanmaraş
UTC time: Friday, March 03, 2023 02:53 AM
GMT: Friday, 3 March 2023 at 02:53 GMT

Will there be another Earthquake?
Sadly, very probably !?!
Will it be stronger or weaker?
Still NO predictions from seismologists!

[Anthea]

We can only watch and hope

4.8 magnitude quake Dörtyol, Hatay
UTC time: Sunday, March 05, 2023 20:49 PM
GMT: Sunday, 5 March 2023 at 20:49 GMT

Almost exactly 4 weeks since the enormous 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Kurdistan

Though the quakes are now few and far between nobody can be certain another big one is not on the way

[Anthea]

600 people under investigation

Turkey’s justice minister on Saturday said that the country was expanding the probes launched to investigate over 600 individuals involved in the construction of the buildings that collapsed in the devastating earthquake

Speaking to journalists in quake-struck Diyarbakir (Amed), Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag announced that 184 suspects, including 79 construction contractors, have been arrested so far. He added that more than 600 people are being investigated in Turkey over buildings that collapsed in the deadly February 6 earthquake.

“I hereby state here that judicial proceedings have been taken against 612 suspects so far, 184 of them have been issued arrest warrants, 214 of them have been given judicial control and 71 of them are to be detained,” Bozdag said.

The wave of arrests comes in response to mass outrage in Turkey following the devastating earthquake that killed over 44,000 people in Turkey, calling on those involved in the construction of the buildings that collapsed to be punished.

On Saturday, Okkes Kavak, the mayor of Nurdagi district in Gaziantep (Dilok) province was arrested in relation to the collapsed buildings. Kavak is from the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP).

Kavak’s arrest was due to his previous position as a contractor. He was arrested after buildings constructed by his firm in Gaziantep collapsed in the quake.

On Saturday evening, during the Turkish Super league match of Fenerbahce against Konyaspor in Istanbul, footage on social media showed a sold-out Kadikoy stadium chanted “Resign!” to the Turkish government.

The match was the first to be played since the earthquake.

Dubbed the “disaster of the century”, the tremor in the city of Kahramanmaras killed over 50,000 across the borders of both Syria and Turkey.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced on Friday that the death toll of the twin tremor has risen to 44,218 people. More than 110,000 people are injured.

More than 10,000 buildings are said to have collapsed following the earthquake that rattled 11 provinces in southern Turkey.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/26022023

[Anthea]

Depressing as we watch and hope

4.0 magnitude quake 4 km from Toygarlı, Hatay
UTC time: Monday, March 06, 2023 02:16 AM
GMT: Monday, 6 March 2023 at 02:16 GMT

Frightening for those who live in the area

[Anthea]

The region has suffered a massive 300 quakes/aftershock in the past 4 weeks
Click Image to Enlarge:

Notice how this most recent quake is classed as an aftershock to the 4.8 magnitude quake in Dörtyol, Hatay a few hours earlier

NOT an aftershock to the 7.8 in Nurdağı, Gaziantep, 4 weeks ago