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October 11, 2023 - GTÜ Office of Press and Public Relations
The 5th International Disaster and Resilience Congress held on 11-13 October 2023 under the leadership of the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency and hosted by Gebze Technical University (GTU) with the theme of ‘Disaster Resilient Türkiye’.
Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye Mehmet Özhaseki, who could not attend the ceremony held at GTU Congress and Culture Centre due to his previously scheduled schedule, sent a message and conveyed his good wishes for the congress to be successful. The event was attended by provincial and district protocols, GTU management, representatives of non-governmental organisations, national and international scientists, members of the press and students.
The opening speeches of the event were made by Seddar Yavuz Governor of Kocaeli, Okay Memiş Governor of Erzurum President of AFAD, Prof. Hacı Ali Mantar Rector of GTU, Prof. Hasan Mandal President of Tübitak, Prof. Fatma Meriç Yılmaz President of Kızılay, Ebru Gençosmanoğlu Director of DASK.
Governor of Kocaeli Seddar Yavuz Delivered Opening Speech at Disaster and Resilience Congress In his opening speech at the congress, Seddar Yavuz Governor of Kocaeli, emphasised the importance of creating a disaster-resilient Türkiye. Yavuz stated that especially risks such as earthquakes and industrial accidents should be worked on more. Governor Yavuz said the following in his speech at the congress: ‘I hope that our congress will be successful. I also wish disaster-free days on the occasion of 13 October World Disaster Reduction Day.’ Yavuz continued his speech by wishing God's mercy to those who lost their lives in past earthquakes. He also emphasised that Kocaeli is a city where industrial accidents, earthquake risks and problems in the field of logistics require special attention. Governor Yavuz pointed out that trainings should be provided for earthquake preparedness, provision of post-disaster logistic support and regular and effective management of aid materials.
He also stated that search and rescue teams should be established in OSBs, risk mitigation works should be accelerated and the warehouse infrastructure in the city should be improved. Finally, Governor Yavuz emphasised that especially logistics warehouses should be prepared and aid materials should be managed regularly and effectively. He also stated that training should be provided on how to pack and ship relief supplies. Governor Yavuz added that more work is needed for Türkiye to become resilient against disasters and all institutions should cooperate in this regard.
AFAD President spoke at the Congress: Post-Earthquake Relief Efforts Continue Unabated AFAD President and Erzurum Governor Okay Memiş made an important speech at the fifth International Disaster and Resilience Congress. The congress was organised with the theme of Disaster Resilient Türkiye and addressed Türkiye's post-earthquake relief efforts.
Okay Memiş started his speech by wishing mercy to those who lost their lives after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake on 6 February. He wished patience to the citizens in the regions affected by the earthquake. He stated that after the earthquake, all the means of Türkiye were mobilised to the disaster area and public institutions, non-governmental organisations, municipalities and volunteers actively participated in the relief efforts.
He emphasised that search and rescue operations continued unabated after the disaster. He announced that a total of 35,250 search and rescue personnel have been deployed and 11,480 of them are international rescue personnel. He stated that one million tents were quickly dispatched to the region after the earthquake and 2.5 million citizens were sheltered in these tents. He stated that a total of 468,000 employees were involved worldwide and that this operation was unprecedented.
Memiş stated that the work carried out in the disaster area is a recovery operation and the better this operation is carried out, the more successful the results will be. He explained that the recovery operations are continuing rapidly. He stated that the damage assessment works continued effectively and the buildings to be demolished immediately were secured. He also announced that heavily damaged houses are being rebuilt. Memiş stated that hundreds of houses were rebuilt after the disaster and the identified buildings will be completed in a short time. AFAD President emphasised that this operation, which was carried out under the leadership of Mr President and with the instructions of the state, was a great success.
Deputy Mayor of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality spoke about Kocaeli's Resilient Future at the Congress Mustafa Soydabaş, Deputy Mayor of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, said: ‘As Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, we endeavour to make Kocaeli a resilient city by working in both infrastructure and superstructure. As an architect, I believe that Turkish people have all kinds of skills in terms of knowledge, skills and manufacturing. We have no problems in our projects, we have no problem in making claims. However, we have problems in doing justice to every job. We have deficiencies in work ethics. Hopefully, when we work with an approach that does justice to the work at every level and at every stage of work, we will have fewer problems and contribute more to our country.’
GTU Rector Delivered Opening Speech at the 5th International Disaster and Resilience Congress Gebze Technical University (GTU) Rector Prof. Hacı Ali Mantar made important statements at the opening of the 5th International Disaster and Resilience Congress. Rector Mantar emphasised that the congress is a critical platform for Türkiye to become resilient to disasters. Prof. Mantar said the following in his opening speech: ‘First of all, I would like to welcome you all to the 5th International Disaster and Resilience Congress. This congress is an event that we attach great importance to the theme of Disaster Resilient Türkiye, under the leadership of the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency and hosted by Gebze Technical University, which may have both national and international outputs.’
Rector Mantar also reminded the fact that Türkiye is an earthquake country and the painful memories of this challenging issue and added the following: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to wish God's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives in all disasters and my condolences to our nation once again.’
Prof. Mantar also emphasised that the congress is critical for Türkiye to create a structure resistant to disasters and stated that it is aimed to provide a common platform by bringing together studies from different disciplines.
Congress Speech by Hasan Mandal President of TÜBİTAK: ‘A Disaster Resistant Türkiye’ Highlights from the speech of Prof. Hasan Mandal, President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK).
In the aftermath of the earthquake, we all experienced this pain in different ways. Witnesses of the event, those who helped, those who reached the region quickly, each of us had a different experience. Therefore, we believe that individuals and societies should be prepared for disasters. As TÜBİTAK, together with our scientists and students, we have been involved in this process in many different aspects, both before and after the disaster. In particular, we have tried to contribute to the recovery of the people in this region by combining our scientific studies with post-disaster rehabilitation and science society studies.
What makes this congress important is that we realise that we need to have a holistic perspective, not only on disaster outcomes. Climate changes, disasters such as droughts and floods cause us to face more problems such as economic, poverty and geopolitical problems. We also have to deal with threats from cyber security and digitalisation.
Therefore, when we look to the future, we need a holistic perspective that addresses all these topics. For disaster resilience, we need to develop a strategy that includes all these factors, not just earthquake or fire. At this point, science and technology are of great importance.’
Kızılay President Speaks on Disaster Resilience at Congress KızılayPresident Prof. Fatma Meriç Yılmaz delivered an important speech at the congress. Addressing disaster resistance issues in her speech, Yılmaz thanked GTU for hosting the congress. She also wished that the congress would contribute to academic discussions.
She drew attention to the fact that the disasters experienced in the last year caused us to face the reality of disasters in the country and drew attention to the diversity of these disasters. She stated that especially the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, forest fires, floods and inundations show that the country is exposed to these risks. She objected to the definition of Türkiye as a disaster country and emphasised the importance of the role of people in the transformation of natural events into disasters. She explained that the transformation of rain into floods and earth crustal movements into earthquakes is related to vulnerability.
She said that disasters should be prevented in advance and damages should be minimised. For this reason, she emphasised that disaster risk reduction plans should be implemented and measures should be taken. Yılmaz stated that instead of focusing on heroic stories of post-disaster rescue operations, efforts to increase the resilience of buildings and reduce risks should be focused on. She also stated that they are carrying out activities to increase individual and social resilience against disasters. She explained that activities in the fields of training, awareness raising, capacity building and awareness raising are ongoing.
She stated that the Kızılay carries out these activities in cooperation with public institutions and non-governmental organisations and that volunteers are an important support. In closing, Yılmaz thanked those who contributed to the preparation of the congress and invited everyone to participate in and support efforts to increase resilience against disasters.
DASK President Ebru Gençosmanoğlu: Referred to the Success of Compulsory Earthquake Insurance Implementation DASK (Earthquake Insurance) President Ebru Gençosmanoğlu made a speech and emphasised the success of the implementation of Compulsory Earthquake Insurance in Türkiye. Gençosmanoğlu stated that approximately thirty-four billion TL worth of compensation was paid in the earthquake in 2023 and that they approved ninety-eight per cent of six hundred thousand damage files. She explained that the remaining two per cent were pending due to missing documents. Ebru Gençosmanoğlu stated that insurance companies play an important role in the transition to economic normalisation after disasters. At the same time, she emphasised that DASK stands by the citizens in damage assessment and compensation payments. DASK President stated that these experiences have shaped their future goals and that they plan to introduce new liability insurances such as building liability insurance in the construction sector. She also added that these projects aim to help urban planning and transfer their experiences.
In her speech, Gençosmanoğlu thanked AFAD executives and stated that AFAD plays an important role in providing rapid assistance in disaster areas. She stated that the achievements obtained at the congress will guide the way to be disaster-resilient and climate change compatible. Ebru Gençosmanoğlu concluded her speech by thanking all the guests who attended the congress.
Discussing Studies from Different Disciplines on a Common Platform The aim of this important event is to ensure that studies from different disciplines are discussed and discussed on a common platform. The congress also aims to share current developments and information in the field of Resilience, present new research studies and application examples, and contribute to the Resilience literature. Within this framework, studies from all disciplines related to Resilience will be included in the congress.
Within the scope of the congress, various panels will be organised under the main theme of ‘Climate Change and Safe Cities’. These panels are as follows: ‘Disaster Resilient Türkiye’ Main Panel ‘Resilient Cities’ ‘Climate Change’ ‘Disaster Logistics’ ‘Disaster Mitigation’ ‘Disaster Education and Awareness’
International Disaster and Resilience Congress will provide an important platform for Türkiye to create a resilient future against disasters and to establish working groups in this direction. The Congress stands out as a comprehensive event to address current problems and solutions in this field. |
