Efforts continue for rapid response to potential disasters! AFAD's warehouse capacity increased

The city, which has experienced many tremors following the 7.9-magnitude earthquake on December 27, 1939—considered one of the greatest disasters of the century, where approximately 33 thousand people lost their lives and thousands were injured—was most recently devastated by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake on March 13, 1992, which claimed 653 lives.

In Erzincan, which is located on the North Anatolian Fault Line and has experienced the painful reality of earthquakes, work is being carried out by AFAD to provide support both to the city and to every point in the country in the event of a possible disaster.

An additional warehouse with 1,200 square meters of indoor space was built next to the existing 1,500-square-meter indoor warehouse located on the Çağlayan road, 6 kilometers from the city center.

RELIEF SUPPLIES ARE PREPARED AND DISPATCHED IN A VERY SHORT TIME

With the overhead crane in the warehouse, which features the latest technological equipment, containers containing materials such as beds, blankets, and kitchen sets are loaded onto trucks kept ready for immediate use and dispatched in a very short time, with the entire process monitored via a satellite system.

The new warehouse, which has a shelving system, contains relief supplies to meet the shelter and heating needs of citizens during a disaster.

AFAD's "Regional Logistics Warehouse" in Erzincan, which was one of the first warehouses from which aid was delivered to citizens following the disasters in the region, especially the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, holds great importance for the region located on the North Anatolian Fault Line.

AFAD Provincial Director Enver Özcan stated that the warehouses were established to respond quickly to disasters that may occur in the provinces in the region.

Expressing that relief supplies are dispatched in the shortest possible time in the event of a possible disaster, Özcan said, "Our warehouse here currently has a 100 percent occupancy rate. We are even above the occupancy rate in terms of tents. Right now, God forbid, we have the capacity to meet shelter needs in the event of a possible disaster. After the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023, more than 700 truck shipments were made from our warehouse to the region. All the relief supplies in our warehouse were dispatched to the region. Only a very small amount of material was left here for security reasons in case of another disaster in the region. We ensured the very rapid dispatch of sufficient tents, blankets, beds, and heaters from the warehouse to the region at the first moment. Our warehouse reached a 100 percent occupancy rate again shortly after the disaster," he said.

"IT IS CONSIDERED TO TURN OUR WAREHOUSE INTO A LOGISTICS BASE"

Özcan stated that the area where the warehouses are located has 182 thousand square meters of open space, expressing that they have sufficient space in this regard.

Explaining that they also have the space to build the 3rd and 4th warehouses after the second one, Özcan said, "Due to its location, it is considered to turn our warehouse into a logistics base because of its proximity to the airport and surrounding provinces. If such a thing is planned, we are in a position to meet it. We have over 20 thousand tents here, including our AFAD tents, which we call 16 and 12 square meters, as well as tunnel-type tents. In addition, we keep nearly 4 thousand blankets and nearly 4 thousand bed and pillow sets here. The tents we house here are suitable for 4 seasons. When a request comes to us to meet shelter needs after a disaster, we can make our shipments from our warehouses very quickly," he said.

Stating that the arrangement and order of the relief supplies kept in the warehouses are constantly checked, Özcan continued as follows:

"The region we are in has a special importance. Its geography, being located very close to the North Anatolian Fault Line, has a critical importance when we consider the earthquakes expected in our surrounding provinces. I hope we do not experience this, but we are in a capacity to take the necessary action when we do, hopefully. Technology is used at the highest level in our warehouses. Their arrangement and order are followed carefully, and necessary fumigation and maintenance are carried out routinely. That is why we are proud of this warehouse we are in. It is one of the model warehouses."