Betmezoğlu: “All our opportunities will be faded if 3-5 buildings collapse”

Head of the İskele District Civil Defence Organization Cemal Betmezoğlu said that the Civil Defence Organization has worked effectively with all its strength in Adıyaman, Türkiye. “If a major earthquake hits Cyprus, it is not possible for the Civil Defence Organization Presidency to be sufficient for dozens of destructions that may occur. As a country, we have to prepare for this. The Civil Defence is always doing its part,” Betmezoğlu said. Upon being asked the question, “Do we have enough search-and-rescue teams to pull people out of the rubble if an earthquake takes place in the country with the same magnitude that shook Türkiye?” The head of the Civil Defence Organization Cemal Betmezoğlu said "Unfortunately, we do not...”. Emphasizing that they have formed search and rescue clubs at universities and that they provide continuous training there, Betmezoğlu said that they also train volunteers. “This is a matter regarding the budget. The technical devices we are talking about are expensive. Volunteers can't acquire these with their own means. We can't equip volunteer teams with our current budget. In the current situation, even if 3-5 buildings collapse, all our opportunities will be gone… We will not be sufficient,” he said. “It is not possible to go against the power of nature. Even if we form broader teams at all universities and our rescue teams are sufficient… Again, we are not safe…, the main issue is having safe structures. I hope that our buildings are not like the ones in Türkiye…Inspections are very important. Institutions and organizations must fulfil their duties during the construction phase of buildings. Some issues should not be left to the initiative of individuals. There are certain standards all over the world. There are earthquake resistance tests for buildings. We are not the controller of these, it is not right to think, will we be safe after an earthquake? The number of people to be rescued if an earthquake takes place and the building collapses is not very high. The important thing is to inspect the safety of existing buildings before an earthquake.” Betmezoğlu said.