Urban transformation protected Düzce from quake: Mayor

Fevzi Kızılkoyun - DÜZCE

The urban transformation initiated in the northwestern province of Düzce after the 1999 earthquake protected the city from the 5.9-magnitude quake that occurred early on Nov. 23, the mayor has stated.

“If there was no urban transformation after the 1999 earthquake, we would be in great pain right now as 80 percent of the residences in Düzce were built after the quake,” Faruk Özlü told daily Hürriyet.

In 1999, an earthquake rattled Düzce on Nov. 12 at 6:57 p.m. local time with a magnitude of 7.2, causing damage and at least 845 fatalities.

Earthquake regulations are strictly enforced in the city and high-rise buildings are not allowed, the mayor added.

“Maximum of four floors including the ground. We follow a policy based on horizontal architecture,” he elaborated.

“I woke up with a strong noise and shaking, I knew right away that it was an earthquake, but I was sure that there would be no serious trouble,” he said.

The earthquake was centered in Düzce’s Gölyaka town, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Istanbul, where it was strongly felt, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said.

It struck at 4:08 a.m. and was felt in Istanbul, in the capital Ankara and other parts of the region. More than 130 aftershocks were reported, including one of magnitude 4.3.

Apart from a few ruined barns, the quake demolished the exterior cladding and parts of the roof of a courthouse in Düzce, HaberTürk television also reported. Among other damage, a two-story shop collapsed on a narrow street, it said.

A 125-year-old restaurant was completely destroyed by the earthquake. “Fortunately, the earthquake happened at night. If it was around 10 p.m., there would be at least 30 people inside,” said Ahmet Seyok, the business owner.

The pulpit of a mosque in the city center was also destroyed. While the other parts of the mosque built in 1883 were not damaged, it turned out that the destroyed pulpit was built later.

The quake woke people from their sleep, and many rushed out of buildings in panic in the province that has experienced earthquakes in the past.

People gathered in a main square, some wrapped in blankets distributed by the emergency management agency, television footage showed.

A total of 10,000 blankets, 480 family types and 20 general purpose tents, 10 mobile base stations, a mobile coordination truck and a social work truck were transferred to the region, AFAD said in a statement.

The Family and Social Services Ministry also assigned 10 teams to provide psychological support to the citizens.

Meanwhile, there were also injured citizens in nearby provinces, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced. He said 37 injured, one seriously, in Düzce, two in Istanbul, 14 in Bolu, 10 in Zonguldak, 26 in Sakarya and four in Bursa.

A total o 17 people are being treated in hospitals, the minister added.

Türkiye is crossed by fault lines and is prone to earthquakes.

In 1999, a magnitude-7.4 quake hit the industrial province of Kocaeli, leaving nearly 18,000 people dead and around 45,000 others injured.

The epicenter was approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the west of the Düzce earthquake that happened a few months after.