Turkey Must Remember Its Earthquake Reality Every Day

Türk Ytong General Manager Tolga Öztoprak made statements during Earthquake Week, held between 1-7 March 2024. He emphasized that we need to raise public awareness and implement earthquake-resistant construction to reduce earthquake damage. Tolga Öztoprak, stating that Turkey needs to remember its earthquake reality every day, said: "We must avoid remembering earthquakes only when they occur and forgetting them as time passes, treating them as if they don't exist. While we cannot replace the lives lost in earthquakes, we can minimize losses by constructing earthquake-resistant buildings. As Ytong, we will continue working and producing without forgetting this reality, and will continue to support education and awareness-raising efforts." he stated. Türk Ytong General Manager Tolga Öztoprak made various statements regarding Earthquake Week during 1-7 March 2024. He stressed that Turkey must keep the earthquake reality fresh in its memory and act accordingly. Öztoprak, noting that Türk Ytong supports activities in earthquake-affected regions, said: "We provide scholarships to architecture students who had to interrupt their education due to the earthquake. Our training programs at universities continue uninterrupted. We continue our efforts without pause to leave sturdy structures and a better future for future generations."

Public awareness is essential

Tolga Öztoprak said: "To reduce earthquake damage, we need to raise public awareness and implement earthquake-resistant construction that will ensure our building safety at the highest level. Turkey is located on one of the world's most active earthquake zones, and 98 percent of the population, which has reached 85 million, lives on the earthquake belt. We need to raise the level of public awareness against earthquakes to the highest levels." he said.

Buildings that undergo proper inspection remain standing

Tolga Öztoprak noted that research conducted after earthquakes revealed that buildings designed according to standards, constructed with quality materials conforming to the design, and undergoing proper inspection remain standing firmly. Tolga Öztoprak further stated: "If you ensure that materials produced to standard are used on-site according to technique, and make on-site inspection and control services mandatory, earthquake-resistant and sturdy structures are created. Actually, the rule is quite simple and the steps are very clear." he said.

Tolga Öztoprak, drawing attention to the importance of building materials in earthquake-resistant construction, continued:

"During earthquakes, buildings are affected by seismic forces in proportion to their structural weight. When you construct lighter buildings, you also reduce the seismic loads and seismic risks affecting the building. For this, we need lightweight building materials. As Ytong, we have considered this important since our establishment and conduct R&D work to make our wall blocks lighter. For example, our Ytong 0.08 wall blocks, which we launched on the market last year, are a material that is both lighter and has higher thermal insulation performance compared to standard autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, without compromising on strength. We invite all manufacturers to produce with this awareness and improve our buildings together."