Officials in Gebze are 'trying to clear things up'

While Dilara Bilir (18) from the 5-member Bilir family was rescued alive from the rubble of the 7-story building that collapsed on October 29 on Issıkgöl Street in the Mevlana neighborhood, her father Levent (44), mother Emine, and their children Muhammed Emir (12) and Hayrunisa Bilir (14) lost their lives.

COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

While debris removal efforts continue, investigations have also been initiated on the ground. Expert teams are conducting a comprehensive investigation into both ground controls and the way the building collapsed. In addition, 16 sealed buildings in the region are being examined in terms of structure and ground. Georadar scanning devices have been installed on 30 buildings to monitor their movement. Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, and AFAD General Director of Earthquake and Risk Reduction Prof. Dr. Orhan Tatar, who followed the work in the region on-site, made statements to journalists.

"WE ANTICIPATE THESE EFFORTS WILL LAST 2 MORE DAYS"

Stating that they expect the work to continue for another 2 days, Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş said, "We are in the region where the tragic incident occurred in Gebze on October 29. Research into the cause of the incident has been ongoing since last night with increased team numbers and equipment. Under the coordination of AFAD, personnel from our Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, department heads at the general directorate level, and experts from 6 of our universities are continuing their investigations as if they have formed a scientific committee here. To ensure the safety of our citizens, all buildings within a certain radius, especially those we have evacuated, are being checked one by one. Both technical and visual examinations are being carried out regarding the ground. Seismic research and radar readings are all being conducted. We anticipate that these efforts will last for 2 more days. Today, we visited the citizens we evacuated from the region. We informed them about the process. We listened to their needs and problems. It will be possible to provide more reliable information once the report to be prepared by the committee is written and fully completed," he said.

"OUR FIRST PRIORITY IS THE SAFETY OF OUR CITIZENS"

Stating that their first priority is the safety of the citizens in the region, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tahir Büyükakın said, "We have been saying from the beginning that our first priority is the safety of our citizens. The decision to allow our evacuated citizens to return to their buildings is a very critical decision that must be made with care. So far, 28 workplaces, 21 buildings, and 79 independent units have been evacuated. 252 of our citizens cannot stay in their buildings. Currently, 73 of them are temporarily residing in our Metropolitan Municipality's facilities, and some are in the Gebze Municipality's facilities. A total of 27 public institutions and organizations are working in the field. There are 427 personnel and 120 vehicles. But currently, those conducting the most valuable and critical work are doing so together with our university professors. Professors from 6 of our universities and TÜBİTAK have come here. I would like to thank them first and foremost. The General Director of Earthquake and Risk Reduction has mobilized a large team here. I owe him a special thanks on behalf of my city," he said.

"WE NEED TO CLEAR THINGS UP"

Stating that over 40 experts are conducting investigations in the field, AFAD General Director of Earthquake and Risk Reduction Prof. Dr. Orhan Tatar said, "Together with academics from 6 of our universities and the TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, more than 40 researchers are currently working here today. This is, of course, an important detail. We have to make critical decisions; we really need to reveal the interaction between the ground and the structures on it in a very accurate and clear way. Therefore, we have to make this decision by bringing together a large number of geophysical methods and our geological observations. Our work here will continue tomorrow, the next day, and perhaps the day after. Especially while using various geophysical methods on one hand, we need to clear things up regarding whether our citizens can return to these areas by conducting more detailed geological observations around the buildings that were evacuated yesterday. It is also extremely important to reveal whether there is really a risk in the region on a larger scale or not," he said.

"BY TOMORROW EVENING, WE MAY BE ABLE TO SEE AHEAD A LITTLE BETTER"

Stating that they will reach clearer data tomorrow as a result of the tests, General Director of Earthquake and Risk Reduction Prof. Dr. Tatar said, "Apart from these efforts, we are also obtaining very serious data from our public institutions and organizations. We evaluated and examined all the data in the hands of our Metropolitan Municipality today. Tomorrow, we will examine all the information regarding groundwater in the hands of the State Hydraulic Works. We will examine the data that the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration has regarding the regional geology, which is very serious. Therefore, we will bring together many different parameters and different scientific and technical data, and in the end, we will present a report with a sound perspective. In this sense, I would like to thank our universities very much. We are carrying out this work with great effort and with the day-and-night dedication of our faculty members who are focused on the field. Measurements will continue until late tonight, and they will start again early tomorrow morning. By tomorrow evening, we may be able to see ahead a little better," he said.

"WE DO NOT THINK THE SINDIRGI EARTHQUAKE HAD AN EFFECT"

Expressing that they do not think the Sındırgı earthquake had an effect here, Prof. Dr. Tatar said, "We do not think that the 6.1 magnitude Sındırgı earthquake had an effect here. Of course, from another perspective, whether there is a problem originating from the ground here or a singular problem related to the building itself, we will have understood these as a result of all the work we have done," he said.