Turkish Aftershocks Felt at LSC

The devastating 7.2 magnetude earthquake that hit Eastern Turkey has local implications for one Lyndon State College professor.

It was the most powerful earthquake Turkey has seen since 1999 when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Western Turkey in mid-August.

"I first heard about the earthquake from a friend who e-mailed me the news," said Dr. Ramazan Sag, a visiting professor of Education from Burder, Turkey. "At first I was worried, but when I heard it was not near my home I was relieved."

The destruction caused by this most recent Earthquake is astonishing. Rescue workers from 1,275 rescue teams coming from 38 different provinces are still clearing debris and searching for any survivors in the provinces of Ercis and Vans, the areas hit the hardest by the earthquake.

Outlying towns were also severely damaged by the 100 recorded aftershocks that occurred for ten hours following the initial earthquake. As the rescue workers' efforts continue, the death and injury tolls rise at a staggering rate. The most recent count stands at 650 wounded, 523 dead.

Normally these horrible numbers would only be numbers for a small campus in Northern Vermont, but for Sag the numbers hit home. He is visiting from Mehmet Akif Ersoy University for the academic year.

His hometown of Burdur is located in Western Turkey approximately 1,200km from the earthquake zone.

Sag's relief, however, was only temporary.

"I did not have friends or family near the earthquake but they are all Turks, we are all a part of the same culture," says Sag describing a sense of brotherhood among the Turkish people.

Sag has heard that about 30 teachers have perished in the earthquake. It is reported that a dormitory collapsed during the earthquake and the local schools and colleges have had to shut down until the wreckage is cleared.

"We have students come from all over Turkey. They may not have been my students, but there could have been students from my university in the earthquake."

According to Sag the provinces of Ecris and Vans are very poor and the local government does not require people to follow building regulations or to obtain building permits. This may account for part of the destruction. Had buildings been required to be built to code, it is likely that the destruction would not have been as devastating.

"The [Turkish] government is discussing building regulations to avoid future destruction," says Sag.

In a country that is crossed by multiple fault lines, earthquakes are common, like the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Elazig province last March just 200 km from Sag's hometown.

Building regulations like those implemented in Japan and, more locally, in California decrease the level of destruction by designing their buildings to sway and be flexible when an earthquake hits rather than crumple and collapse. Such building methods would be highly beneficial to Turkey and although it is being discussed, nothing has been passed just yet.

For those interested in aiding in the disaster relief efforts Sag suggests contacting the Turkish Red Crescent Society, a branch of the Red Cross. Their website is found through www.ifrc.org. The website allows you to stay updated on the relief efforts as well as donate and volunteer.