Innovation - Spring 2024

FEATURE

‘Nothing can teach you like the real thing’ Those living in the region are no strangers to earthquakes; large earthquakes occur about every 20 years. However, even for an earthquake-prone area, the 2023 disaster was significant in its scope and destruction. More than 50,000 people were killed and 3.3 million people were displaced, with nearly two million sheltered in tent camps and container settlements. “These tragedies are very real, and it’s important to remember that while using them as lessons and inspirations to bring home and try to do better and try to save lives in the future that weren’t able to be saved in the last one. Nothing can teach you like the real thing,” says Chen. The reconnaissance mission studied response and recovery, as well as codes and standards, as they might be relevant in BC. The team spent long days on the bus—up at 6 a.m. and returning at 11 p.m.—as they went up and down the fault lines, visiting communities to meet with government officials, engineers, and others whom they could glean insights from. They saw the geotechnical effects of major earthquakes up close and collected data, such as ambient vibrations of select buildings and infrastructure. Many buildings not to code After the deadly 1999 earthquake in Türkiye, the country’s building code was updated to require deformed rebar, better ductile detailing, and more shear walls or large columns in new buildings. But after the 2023 earthquakes, it was widely reported many new buildings hadn’t adhered to the code.

This Roman Catholic Church in Iskenderun was one of many collapsed churches and historical sites in Turkiye. Photo: Allison Chen

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Spring 2024

Innovation