A Guide to Flood and Natural Disaster Preparedness in Turkey

The Most Common and Destructive Types of Disasters in Turkey

In Turkey, disasters are typically concentrated in geological, hydrometeorological, and meteorological categories.

Floods and Flash Floods (The Most Common Disaster)

After earthquakes, the natural disasters that cause the greatest economic losses are floods and flash floods. Heavy rainfall frequently leads to flooding, especially in the Black Sea, Mediterranean, and Aegean regions.

• Consequences:
  • Infrastructure Damage: Destruction or incapacitation of bridges, roads, power plants, and sewage systems.
  • Agricultural Loss: Submersion of agricultural lands and degradation of soil quality due to erosion.
  • Economic Loss: Influenced by unplanned urbanization and construction in riverbeds, floods and overflows cause billions of liras in damage annually.

Other Significant Disasters

• Landslides and Rockfalls: Common in the Eastern Black Sea Region due to steep slopes, soil structure, and heavy rainfall, often resulting in loss of life.
• Forest Fires: Particularly during the hot and dry summer seasons in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions, forest fires cause significant ecological and economic damage.
• Avalanches: In the high-altitude areas of the Eastern Anatolia and Eastern Black Sea regions, avalanches occur during winter and spring, leading to fatalities.

The Economic and Social Impacts of Disasters

Natural disasters cause not only short-term losses but also long-term social and economic problems.

Economic Impacts

• Direct Losses: Destruction or damage to buildings, homes, and public and private property. On average, natural disasters cause around 1.8 billion TL in economic losses in Turkey each year.
• Indirect Losses: Production halts, loss of workforce, decreased tourism revenue, increased insurance and reinsurance costs, and allocation of significant resources from the national budget for post-disaster recovery.
• Barrier to Development: The recurrence of disasters hinders regional development efforts and diverts development resources toward mitigating disaster impacts.

Social and Psychological Impacts

• Loss of Life and Injury: The most severe consequence of disasters is the death and injury of thousands of people.
• Migration and Displacement: Mass migrations resulting from the destruction or increased risk of residential areas lead to social pressure and adaptation challenges in cities.
• Psychological Trauma: Disaster survivors, especially children and the elderly, face severe psychological devastation such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Service Disruption: Interruptions in education, health, and transportation services lower daily living standards.

Disaster Management and the Role of AFAD

Following the 1999 Marmara Earthquake, Turkey transitioned from a response-focused approach in disaster management to a Risk Management-oriented one. At the center of this change is the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

• AFAD’s Goal: Working with the vision of creating a disaster-resilient society in Turkey, AFAD’s primary mission is to plan and coordinate the processes of pre-disaster (risk reduction), during disaster (response), and post-disaster (recovery).
• TARAP (Turkey’s Disaster Risk Reduction Plan): AFAD develops national strategies aimed at minimizing disaster risks to the lowest possible level.
• Public Awareness: Through training, campaigns, and volunteer programs, AFAD aims to increase public awareness and preparedness levels for disasters.

To enhance Turkey’s resilience against future disasters, the continuous and meticulous implementation of structural risk reduction efforts (safe building stock and proper land use) is of great importance.