Santorini and its implications

The earthquake swarm in Santorini continues. Greece has declared a state of emergency in the region until March 11. Throughout the day yesterday, seismic activity continued in the sea area between Santorini and Amorgos. The number of tremors above magnitude 3 recorded in the region since February 1 has reached thirteen thousand!

Unfortunately, there is no decrease in the number of earthquakes in the Aegean Sea. There are two main scenarios: either it continues with small tremors and fades away, or a major earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurs.

Greece has made its preparations for everything from the mildest to the most severe scenario. New seismic monitoring devices have been installed in Santorini. Underwater research is ongoing.

A tide gauge has been installed for a tsunami warning system. A support package for workers in Santorini has been announced. A support payment of 534 euros will be made to employees. Insurance premiums will be paid by the state. The government is on edge. Prime Minister Mitsotakis went to Santorini and held a press conference regarding this long-lasting earthquake wave. The armed forces and the Disaster Coordination Center have prepared for the worst-case scenario and are on standby.

What about us?

For days, news of sea retreats has been coming from our North Aegean coasts to our South Aegean coasts, and from the Western Mediterranean to our Eastern Mediterranean coasts.

Perhaps the Kandilli Observatory has never used its X account this actively. Kandilli announces the tremors, which occur every hour or sometimes every 20 minutes, on its X account.

A striking report on Santorini has also come from Kandilli. The summary of the scientific report is as follows: A magnitude 6.5 tremor would return to the Turkish coasts as a tsunami! In some of the residential areas on alluvial soil around İzmir, Kuşadası, and the Gulf of Gökova, the intensity of a Santorini earthquake could reach 8. In such areas, an inventory of buildings that cannot withstand an intensity of 8 must be taken, and precautions must be taken! The tremor will cause a tsunami on our Aegean coasts.

For this reason, it is important to warn our people living on the coast in a timely manner. AFAD has installed mobile siren systems in İzmir and Muğla to warn the local public in case of a possible tsunami or emergency. The sea is receding by meters on our coasts, but for now, there is no official statement from the authorities.

Prof. Dr. Naci Görür has started traveling from city to city, saying, "Something must be done," to urgently make the country earthquake-resistant. Turkey is an earthquake country, just like Japan. New Maraş and Hatay earthquakes will definitely happen. Just as the Japanese made their country resilient, Turkey can too.

The top priority of this country should be human life! We must not lose hundreds of thousands of our lives in a single day. Let us protect our people and our children from unsafe structures; let us not bury them in the ground or leave them disabled," he warns, but no one is listening.

In the first major earthquake to occur, deep wounds will be opened in our minds, just like on February 6 (Maraş), August 17 (Gölcük), and October 21 (Van). Traumas will repeat. Our loved ones will remain under the rubble. Unless we transition to earthquake-resistant lives, each of us will be a victim of the coming destruction. Perhaps we won't even have a grave. We will be remembered among the losses.

Those who chase zoning amnesties to legalize illegal, unlicensed structures will always have peace of mind. Because in this country, those responsible always go unpunished...

Let us remember the verdict on the Isias Hotel, which became a grave for 72 of our people in Adıyaman. The court did not give a heavy sentence for "probable intent" to the hotel owner, who said, "If the earthquake hadn't been so severe, my hotel wouldn't have collapsed." If a sentence had been given for probable intent, all those responsible would have been terrified before future earthquakes. For example, no one would dare to cut columns.

Dear Professor Naci; It is not only buildings that need to be made resilient, but also our values that have been razed to the ground. This can only happen with the courage to hold people accountable. Altogether.