Vital warning for Izmir

Prof. Dr. Celalettin Kozanoğlu, Head of Department of Civil Engineering at Izmir University of Economics (IUE), said that the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Istanbul should be perceived as a warning for Izmir as well. Reminding that about half of the approximately 1 million buildings in Izmir were constructed according to pre-1998 earthquake regulations and around 35% are illegal structures, Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu said, “Earthquakes should be Izmir’s number one agenda. There are approximately 150 to 200 thousand buildings that urgently need to be inspected to identify risky structures. Every day we delay without taking action, we fall further behind. We fear earthquakes, but we also forget about them quickly.”

Following the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Istanbul's Silivri district, Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu shared important assessments regarding Izmir. He noted that it was fortunate the earthquake in Istanbul did not result in casualties and emphasized that earthquakes are a reality of life in Turkey.

“OUR EARTHQUAKE REPORT CARD IS NOT GOOD”

Stating that it is not the earthquake, but weak buildings, that should be feared, Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu said, “There are approximately 1 million buildings in Izmir, most of which are located in 11 central districts. Based on the age average, we are in a city with a high concentration of old buildings. An old building doesn't necessarily mean a weak one, but they must be inspected. In Izmir, nearly one out of every two buildings was constructed according to pre-1998 regulations. Many of these are over 35–40 years old. While it’s difficult to give an exact number, 150 to 200 thousand buildings need urgent inspection. Unfortunately, people love to knock down walls, convert apartments into shops, place water tanks on rooftops without engineering support, and make renovations without precautions. They say, ‘What harm could it do?’ But during an earthquake, we pay the price for these mistakes with major destruction and loss of life. We saw this in both the Kahramanmaraş and Izmir earthquakes. I’m not even mentioning those who tamper with columns or beams. To me, cutting a building's column or beam is equivalent to premeditated murder.”

 “IF YOU’RE NOT SURE ABOUT YOUR BUILDING, GET IT INSPECTED”

Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu continued as follows: “About 35% of Izmir’s buildings are unauthorized. This is a high rate for a city like Izmir. So what should we do? Being scared and waiting is not a solution. We need to be informed. If we are unsure about our buildings, if we don’t feel safe, we must have them inspected. If reinforcement is needed, we must act immediately. For urban transformation, we need to move in unity and prioritize this issue. I also see that we lack enough information on what to do during an earthquake. In the last quake, we saw people jumping from buildings or running to staircases. We need to raise awareness and listen to experts. Izmir’s earthquake report card is not good. We saw this in the most recent earthquake on October 30, 2020. Let Izmir not experience its own August 17 or February 6. Let’s not have another disaster in Izmir. Let’s take action without wasting any more time. Every day we wait is another day lost.”

“WE SHOULD FOCUS ON SAFETY”

Prof. Dr. Kozanoğlu emphasized the need for citizens to be sensitive and conscious on this matter and said, “I say this at every opportunity, it feels repetitive, but here we are in 2025, and we still have to say, ‘Don’t cut columns, and don’t tamper with beams.’ We see people saying, ‘Core testing weakens the building,’ or ‘My wall is so solid even a drill can’t get through, nothing will happen to this building.’ These are all wrong. Core testing does not weaken a building, and you can’t assess a building’s safety just by looking or tapping on the wall. Let’s not forget, our safety is more important than anything. Any additions to a building should be pre-determined in the architectural design. If you design a building to support rooftop water tanks, the engineer can calculate accordingly. That way, the building can safely bear the extra load in an earthquake. What do we do? We randomly place water tanks or make additions that were never part of the original structural plan. These mistakes must end.”