More than 20,000 people died in several earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border region early last week. No one can say exactly how many there are or will be. Countless other people have been injured.
Earthquakes are natural disasters that are difficult to predict and actually impossible to prevent. But worldwide, more than ten percent of people live in regions that are sometimes extremely earthquake-prone. Norbert Gebbeken heads the Bau-Protect research group at the Bundeswehr University in Munich. He is an expert in earthquake-proof building constructions. And he says that such a catastrophe could have been prevented. Because: “We have a lot of technical possibilities that are used all over the world.”
In Turkey in particular, there are renowned experts and strict rules. However, they were obviously not applied consistently. Gebbeken is certain that today buildings can be completely secured against strong earthquakes. But that costs money. That’s why he calls for more support for earthquake areas: the people there need funding, but also consistent monitoring of building regulations.
You can find out what is helping the earthquake victims now here.
The editorial deadline for this program was Friday, February 10, 2023 at 6 p.m.
Moderation, editing: Tami Holderried
Editors: Vinzent-Vitus Leitgeb, Nadja Schlueter
Produced by Justin Patchett
Additional audio from Tagesschau, GuardianNews, DWNews, Reuters
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