'We can prevent loss of life, property,' Turkish president says ahead of nationwide earthquake drill

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - We cannot prevent an earthquake but can minimize loss of life and property, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ahead of a nationwide earthquake drill set to begin on Saturday.

The drill will be held across the country and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus at 6.57 p.m. (1557 GMT) local time to mark the 23rd anniversary of a deadly earthquake in the Turkish city of Duzce.

"We expect you to participate in the exercise voluntarily and test your reflexes and the reflexes of your environment against a possible earthquake. I believe that with the few minutes you will devote to this exercise, we will gain an experience that will add a lifetime to our lives together," Erdogan said in a video message.

Noting that scientists are in agreement that the possibility of major earthquakes is increasing in Türkiye, he said: "Yes, it is not possible to prevent an earthquake, but it is in our hands to take measures to prevent loss of life and property."

He said Türkiye learned from bitter experiences of the past and now has an integrated disaster management strategy, which has been created with coordination of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

The plan consists of three stages, including pre-disaster preparedness and risk reduction, response during disaster and recovery after disaster.

"Within the scope of pre-disaster preparedness and risk reduction studies, we make our cities resistant to disasters with mass housing and urban transformation projects, reach our citizens in a short time with our effective management in the event of a disaster, and carry out search and rescue efforts quickly," he said. "With our post-disaster recovery strategy, we implement projects that will replace the destroyed with much better ones."

"For this reason, we declared 2020 the year of preparedness for disasters, 2021 the year of disaster education, and this year the year of disaster exercises," he added.

On Nov. 12, 1999, Duzce was rocked by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake which lasted 30 seconds, killing 710 people and injuring 2,679.

The Earthquake Moment Country Exercise will take place under the coordination of AFAD.

Duzce earthquake came after the Aug. 17, 1999 earthquake which hit Türkiye's northwestern city of Izmit, and killed 18,373 people and injured 23,781 with its 7.6 magnitude, according to official figures from the AFAD.