AFAD President Okay Memiş's admission 1 year after February 6: There was no delay, but we couldn't reach everyone

One year has passed since the February 6 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş.

Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) President Okay Memiş attended the "Disaster Communication Symposium on the 1st Anniversary of the Disaster of the Century," organized by the Presidential Directorate of Communications at the presidency's conference hall.

Arguing that fake news was deliberately spread while initial response efforts were underway following the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes, Memiş said, "The goal of these malicious efforts was to shape the perception that the state and its institutions were helpless and to create an attitude of distrust in the public. Our teams worked shoulder to shoulder to overcome the disinformation."

Stating that Turkey experienced not just a disaster but a catastrophe one year ago, Memiş said that the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes occurred on the same day in the same region.

Memiş said, "The first earthquake alone released energy approximately 2,000 times more destructive than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Fault lines that ruptured over 300 kilometers leveled buildings 400 kilometers away. It affected 14 million people with the damage it caused to 11 provinces, 124 districts, and 6,929 villages and neighborhoods. The disaster of the century was experienced amidst severe winter conditions and freezing cold in the region. 53,537 of our people lost their lives. More than 107,000 of our citizens were injured."

"OUR TEAMS OVERCAME THE DISINFORMATION"

Stating that AFAD, search-and-rescue teams under its coordination, and volunteers set out from all over Turkey immediately after the earthquake, Memiş said that in addition to the earthquake, they had to struggle with damage to transportation infrastructure, intense mobility in the region, and adverse weather conditions.

Emphasizing that the struggle against disinformation and manipulation produced at desks was added to the difficulties in the field, Memiş continued as follows:

"While the initial response was ongoing, fake news targeting state institutions and non-governmental organizations was deliberately produced and spread. The goal of these malicious efforts was to shape the perception that the state and its institutions were helpless and to create an attitude of distrust in the public. Our Directorate of Communications' Center for Combating Disinformation and our AFAD teams worked shoulder to shoulder to overcome the disinformation. Accurate news was shared with the public through earthquake disinformation bulletins, social media posts, and press releases."

"THERE WAS NO DELAY, BUT WE COULDN'T REACH EVERYONE"

Arguing that the state, along with international resources, directed a total of 35,000 search-and-rescue personnel to the earthquake zone from the very first hours, Memiş continued;

"There was no delay, but we couldn't reach everyone. It wasn't enough, the numbers weren't enough. The destruction was too vast. So, what lessons did we learn from this? The most important thing in disaster management is risk reduction. Without ignoring the response, we launched the 100,000 Search-and-Rescue Project. We will train at least 100,000 people within a year by providing search-and-rescue training primarily to our colleagues in public institutions, our gendarmerie, our police, and our soldiers in the Turkish Armed Forces, creating a dynamic search-and-rescue team. Thus, when proportioned to the population, we will reach the highest number of search-and-rescue personnel in the world. We will continue these trainings every year."

News Source: AA