On the August 17, 1999, at about 3.01(local time), a major earthquake struck northwestern Turkey, Izmit. The Izmit earthquake was caused by the northwards motion of the Arabian plate against the Eurasian plate, which squeezed the small Turkish micro plate westwards. Also, compression in the North anatolian is due to the northwards motion of the African plate, which produces subduction at the Cyprus and Hellenic arcs.

With a magnitude of 7.6, the Izmit earthquake lasted for 37 seconds. However the impact was so great it killed about 17, 127 and injured 43, 959. Reports a few months after the earthquake showed that 120,000 poorly engineered houses were damaged totally and were beyond repair, 50,000 houses were damaged heavily and 2,000 buildings were destroyed while other buildings were heavily damaged. This left about more than half a million people homeless. Moreover, the death toll increased the following winter because of the poor conditions the survivors were living through.

Turkey's Prime Minister Bulen Ecivit declared that Turkey was in a state of emergency and appealed for international help. After receiving news from Turkey, rescue workers were sent from various countries and they set out to search for survivors. Medical assistance was sent to treat injured survivors, and resources were so over stretched that survivors were even treated on car parks!

The United State Geological survey predicts a 15 percent possibility of another major earthquake at the same area in the following 30 years.

My reflections: What do you think can be done to minimise damage from major events as such of the Izmit earthquake?

1. We should secure our valuables. We should support and fix all heavy or easily breakable items and furniture to prevent them from falling or turning over during an earthquake.

2.Fasten water heaters and other electrical appliances. we should anchor appliances to walls to prevent them from falling over.

3.Have fire extinguishers. We should have extinguishers so if a fire occurs during an earthquake, it will be handy to prevent any further damage.

4.Store hazardous materials in a safe place. Spilling of such chemicals or materials will be dangerous during an earthquake.

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