Life is the most valuable gift
that was given to us; however, man-made or
natural disasters can take this away from us.
The power
or nature can cause huge human and economical
loss as we do not know how to prepare ourselves
for
disasters.
We can loose our loved ones because
of disasters
Disasters cause human loses but also hamper
the economic development.
In terms of the number of casualties and
the size of property damage, earthquake is the
most
important threat among all disaster types in
our country.
71 % of our population is living in first
and second degree earthquake zones
Scientists stated that there is a %50 risk
to face a major earthquake in Istanbul in 30
years where the population density is so high.
According to Istanbul Earthquake Master
Plan, it is estimated that there will be between
73 to
87 thousand dead and 120 to 135 thousand heavily
wounded by a possible earthquake in Istanbul.
Usually it takes up to 3 days for professional
such as Civil Defense, Fire Brigade, etc. to
respond the neighborhood residents after a disaster
due
to their priorities like public buildings like
hospitals, schools, governmental buildings,
etc.
First 72 hours is the most critical period
for rescue operations after major disasters.
Most of the victims are rescued by the non-trained
and
non-equipped neighbors and family members within
the first 24 hours.
Neighborhood residents have to take care
themselves until the professional teams arrive.
First response without knowledge, training
and equipment often causes damage instead of
relief.
Disasters are caused by nature. However
most harm comes from poor building quality and
lack
of disaster awareness and knowledge.
Disaster awareness can be raised with education
programs in neighborhood level and awareness
campaigns in both national- local/neighborhood
levels.
Creating the response capacity on neighborhood
level is an essential element in National Disaster
Management.
Ensuring voluntary and active participation
of citizens is the guarantee of the success
of National Disaster Management.
