Directorate of Communications prepared a book titled "One Year of the Disaster of the Century: Reconstruction and Recovery Efforts" about the earthquakes that struck Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye on February 6, 2023.
The foreword of the book was penned by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and it involves five chapters titled "The Trail of the Disaster: Devastating Earthquakes From the Past to the Present", "Disaster of the Century: Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes", "The Türkiye National Risk Shield Model," "Solidarity After The Earthquake" and "Türkiye's Mobilization for Rebuilding and Recovery."
The book, which was prepared in Turkish and English, covers the measures and activities undertaken since the initial moment of the earthquake, which is referred to as "the disaster of the century." The book details the efforts of multinational search and rescue teams and coordinated field operations following a disaster, highlighting the significance of unity and solidarity.
The book provides a comprehensive account of the major earthquakes that have impacted Türkiye using infographics. It also highlights Türkiye's experience and efforts in this field, backed by relevant statistical data.
The book includes information on the search and rescue operations following the earthquake, along with the swift efforts to heal the wounds. It also highlights the state's comprehensive reconstruction and recovery efforts in the region in various sectors, including education, healthcare, environment, urbanisation, transportation, and agriculture.
The book provides a comprehensive overview of the Türkiye National Risk Shield Model, built under the leadership of President Erdoğan. It explains the measures taken to combat climate-related disasters such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires, as well as the establishment of 13 committees to address these challenges.
The book covers various activities in the field of communication and media coordinated by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications. It highlights efforts to combat disinformation on social media platforms following the earthquakes, which had a detrimental impact on disaster operations.
"With the solidarity of the state and the nation, we were able to overcome one of the greatest natural disasters in history"
In his foreword to the book, President Erdoğan highlighted the swift response of the state to the earthquake, with various ministries, institutions, municipalities, and non-governmental organisations mobilising to aid the affected areas. He emphasised that over 272,000 public officials, including aid and support teams, provided assistance to the victims of the earthquake.
President Erdoğan highlighted that the nation was mobilised to assist the victims of the earthquake, offering both financial and emotional support, and added,
"Thanks to the solidarity between the state and its people, we managed to triumph over one of the most significant natural disasters in both national and global history. More than 100 countries from around the world provided us with considerable assistance and support in a variety of areas—from lodging to search and rescue teams—during this challenging period.
Although one year has passed since the earthquake, the grief of our losses still torments our hearts. We will continue to keep this disaster, which resulted in the loss of over 50,000 lives, at the top of our agenda. The wounds caused by the earthquake in 11 provinces have not yet healed. However, we are diligently working with all our institutions to heal these wounds and revive all the cities devastated by the earthquake, including efforts to restore residences, workplaces, agricultural areas, industrial zones, and historical and cultural landmarks.''
President Erdoğan provided details in the foreword he penned regarding the construction and reconstruction efforts underway in the destroyed cities and reiterated their commitment to continue these efforts until the disaster-ravaged cities become even more magnificent, safe, and resilient than they were before.
Pointing out that the recent earthquake disasters have rendered clear how crucial and necessary urban transformation is to creating safe cities, President Erdoğan stated, "We believe that the most significant service we can provide to all our 81 provinces, particularly Istanbul, is urban transformation initiatives. Our objective is to introduce 6 million new houses to the country in the upcoming period, with 1.5 million of them located in Istanbul, achieved through new houses to be built in earthquake-affected areas and urban transformation projects.''
''Such disasters teach strong states valuable lessons; this is what distinguishes them from others''
Presidency's Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun shared a post on his social media account for the "Disaster Communication Symposium on the First Anniversary of the Disaster of the Century'' and the book "One Year of the Disaster of the Century: Reconstruction and Recovery Efforts".
Director of Communications Altun stated the following in his post:
"I wish that our Disaster Communication Symposium on the First Anniversary of the Disaster of the Century, which we organised as the Presidency's Directorate of Communications, will be auspicious.
We gathered on this anniversary of the disaster of the century, which the recently deceased Alev Alatlı referred to as 'a very heavy grief'.
In this symposium, we will assess this year together and attempt to analyse the solidarity of the century that we have displayed in the face of the disaster of the century, together with the unity of the century that we have now exhibited, kicking off with the 'disaster communication' dimension.
In addition to the symposiums and panels in the field of disaster communication organised nationally and internationally, we also made an effort to contribute to Türkiye's body of knowledge in the field of disaster and crisis management over the past year with various publications such as the books 'Disaster of the Century' and 'Solidarity of the Century' in three languages, the book 'Türkiye National Risk Shield Model Opinions and Proposals,' and the book 'Disaster Communication Forum: Resilience, Response, Recovery.'
We made the last of these publications available to the public with the title 'One Year of the Disaster of the Century: Reconstruction and Recovery Efforts.'
In the book 'One Year of the Disaster of the Century: Reconstruction and Recovery Efforts,' we discussed;
• The place of the February 6 earthquakes with respect to other major disasters;
• All aspects of the solidarity we displayed as a nation after the earthquakes;
• Most importantly, our state's recovery and reconstruction efforts in almost every aspect of life in the region following the earthquake, from transportation and communication to culture and art, education and health, agriculture, and religious and social services.
We never thought, 'Let's just lick our wounds and move on with our lives' after this painful experience.
Of course, we cannot bring back the lives we have lost.
However, such disasters and adversities teach strong states valuable lessons; this is what distinguishes them from others.
We, as Türkiye, consider the disaster of the century to be a milestone in the context of disaster communication. With this in mind, we have set the following goal: To move Türkiye to the next level of disaster communication through significant efforts while also contributing to the academic and intellectual body of knowledge in the field.
Disaster communication is one of the significant pillars of Türkiye's Communication Model built under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Today, disaster communication is not an option, but rather a necessity for any country. As Türkiye, we must manage these risks in all dimensions. Let us not forget that managing risks is always less expensive and more precise than managing emergencies.
With this in mind, we will attempt to provide comprehensive answers to crucial questions such as,
• 'Where do we stand in terms of disaster communication?'
• 'What are the impending threats and areas of cooperation?'
• 'Who are the key actors in disaster communication and how should they behave?' during this two-day symposium on disaster communication.
I wish to extend my gratitude to President of Strategy and Budget of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye İbrahim Şenel, Head of AFAD Okay Memiş, and all the participants of the symposium."
Please click here to access the book One Year of the Disaster of the Century: Reconstruction and Recovery Efforts.
