Izmir residents look for shelter, answers in earthquake aftermath

As Izmir residents recover from a 7.0 earthquake that hit Turkey’s third-largest city Friday, engineers look for ways to reduce structural damage in future natural disasters.
A firefighter watches as a damaged building is demolished in a controlled manner during the ongoing search operation for survivors and victims at the site of a collapsed building in the city of Izmir on November 2, 2020, after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey's western coast and parts of Greece. - Rescue workers were searching eight buildings in Izmir despite dwindling hope for survivors, as the death toll of a powerful magnitude earthquake which hit western Turkey rose to 69. The 7.0-magnitude quake has
A firefighter watches as a damaged building is demolished in a controlled manner during the ongoing search operation for survivors and victims at the site of a collapsed building in the city of Izmir on Nov. 2, 2020, after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey's western coast and parts of Greece. - YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images
diego_cupolo_color.jpg
Diego Cupolo
@diegocupolo

ISTANBUL – Fatma Demirer, a lawyer in Izmir, was visiting a client in prison when a strong earthquake hit the city Friday afternoon on Oct. 30. She had left her cell phone at the prison entrance, as is required in Turkey, and when she recovered it upon exiting, she found dozens of messages from family members and colleagues who were eagerly awaiting her response.

Demirer soon learned her office building had collapsed and her co-worker Sercan Turgut was inside.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more