On February 6, 2023 we experienced some unbelievable moments. As the whole nation, we witnessed one of the most terrifying catastrophes of our time. Some of us were affected in a physical way, some of us mentally. Two months passed from that suffering day. Unfortunately, most earthquake victims are still desperate.
Despite earthquake experts’ warnings about a possible earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, why does our country live such a great grief and mourning? If we try to find a culprit, it is our contractors. Let me explain the reason. Have you ever seen an earthquake in Japan? In Japan big earthquakes occur frequently. Citizens in Japan just feel the earthquake with no panic. Why are our citizens so afraid, while Japanese citizens are not? Don’t we have enough technology? Here are some of Japanese construction measures against earthquakes.
- The first one, base isolation, is the most expensive option. The building is insulated from the ground. It shakes the building mildly.
- The second one is dampening. It absorbs the energy which means reduced energy towards the building.
- Structural reinforcement is the cheapest option. It is obligatory. It causes severe shaking and petty damage.
The least safe option is structural reinforcement and you don’t have a chance not to prefer this option in Japan. What about our country? We do what we wish, we don’t think about natural disasters while we are building our houses. Where does this courage come from? Why do contractors just think about their gains instead of people’s health who will move to their unsafe buildings. Because, in our country there are not enough audits and sanctions concerning the safety of buildings. Everybody thinks about their gains. They ignore the lives of innocent people just for a penny.
What do you think about this behavior? Is it due to education or morality? As you know, in our age money is very important. Because of inflation even the most useless thing is pretty valuable. So that people try everything to gain just a penny. Who does it? Everyone! Uneducated even educated people. But who ignores the lives of innocent people? Immoral people! We bleed because of people who have no morals of work and remorse.