Izmit-Turkey EQ, Magnitude 7.4

Update 3 | Summary
Posting Date: August 30, 1999, 10:48:00 AM

Within days of the devasting earthquake that occurred on August 17 near Izmit, Turkey, AIR contracted with local engineers and seismologists to begin an exhaustive post-disaster field survey. Members of the AIR engineering staff have since joined local experts on site. Click on the link below for more information on preliminary results of AIR's earthquake reconnaissance survey. The most recently available building damage statistics are summarized in the table below. Note that these are still very preliminary estimates; heavily damaged buildings are the first to be surveyed and documented, while numbers on buildings suffering slight to moderate damage are sure to rise.

City	Heavy/Collapse	Moderate	Slight
Kocaeli	6,847	30,736	41,070
Istanbul	583	10,675	14,519
Yalova	8,782	N/A	N/A
Sakarya	4,337	1,031	46
Bursa	85	87	263
Bolu	1,430	703	589

Sources at the Central Bank of Turkey say that the quake will cost the government between $5-7 billion. This figure does not, however, include the cost to the private sector which, according to the Turkish business association, could amount to $20 billion, including lost production. Total insured losses are estimated at approximately $1b, with 85% of that figure ceded to international reinsurance companies. The industry is expecting over 20,000 insurance claims. While most industrial properties are insured against earthquake, earthquake insurance for residential exposures is still quite uncommon in Turkey. This keeps insured losses low. Historically, the Turkish government has borne the costs of rebuilding. There is a growing move, however, to limit the government’s role in such efforts and to make earthquake insurance mandatory. AIR earthquake engineers and seismologists are on site in Turkey and are in the process of conducting an extensive post-disaster survey of the hardest hit cities in the area. The preliminary results of their research will be released at the upcoming fall conference in London. Find out more about the AIR post disaster survey by clicking here: AIR Engineers in Turkey

Update 3 | Downloads
Posting Date: August 30, 1999, 10:48:00 AM