Earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria

When are the governments of countries like Turkey going to be held to account for their failures to fully implement their own government edicts, that have directly led to many of the deaths in this week's earthquake.

Urmstongran has referred to the laws saying that buildings should be built to earthquake resisting standards. Standards that have been flouted or ignored on a large scale leading to many blocks of flats collapsing that should have been capable of surviving the earth quake.

Now we read that after an earthquake in 1999, a tax was imposed on internet and mobile use, the money raised to go to a special fund to fund earthquake relief after events like this week.

It is estimated that the fund should be worth about £30 billion and would be able to fund both the search and rescue operations and much rebuilding. However it is now being said that there is no money available because it has been used to repay debt to the IMF and for road and rail building, and, no doubt, line the pockets of some of those in power. inews.co.uk/news/world/turkish-government-earthquake-tax-2136164.

There are many desperately poor countries who when disaster strikes, must rely on international aid, but, as I said, while not wanting to hold back international relief to those so desperately in need in Turkey.

Surely we should be able to sanction in some way, the governments of relatively wealthy countries like Turkey, which has passed the legislation to ensure buildings meet earthquake standards and ostensibly set money from one tax source aside to form a fund to help rebuild and aid their people when earthquakes like this do strike, and then through corruption find the cupboard is bare when disaster strikes.

Callistemon21

Yammy

International Aid seems to me to be slow all round. People are still being pulled out alive. What I don't understand is why if Turkey is in such an earthquake-prone zone they are not constantly prepared to get in and help. People were shouting at police who said they would come back but they suspected they wouldn't. If it were say Japan they would have the infrastructure to help straight away.
Syria is beyond belief the baby saved from its dead mother made me feel so humble.

Rescue teams from around the world are prepared but they don't just sit around, waiting for a disaster to happen. The teams have jobs, lives but are always prepared to go into action as fast as possible.

I think sending a first response team out on the same night from the UK was pretty rapid and obviously more help will be on its way as urgently as is possible.

Japan is a much smaller country and is very efficiently run.

I wasn't talking about the rest of the world I was talking about Turkey. Which is on at least three large tectonic plates and has had catastrophic earthquakes in the past.
The people pay earthquake tax, is it wrong to expect a much quicker prepared response from their own government?
If I were Turkish I can see why the people are annoyed. Now when foreign teams with better equipment are getting through people as of yesterday were still being pulled out alive.
If Turkey had been better prepared how many more lives could have been saved?
I quoted Japan as a country that is always prepared for both earthquakes and Tsunamis. Yes, it might be smaller and easier to do, but surely if you are asking for a 20% tax you know what might happen and should be better equipped to move rapidly.

Just wondering what % of the money that is being donated by well wishers will eventually go where it is needed rather into the hands of corrupt local officials and warlords.

biglouis

Just wondering what % of the money that is being donated by well wishers will eventually go where it is needed rather into the hands of corrupt local officials and warlords.

That’s not a reason not to donate, as long as you give to a reputable organisation who will do the best they can to provide help to those who need it. I think you have to trust organisations like the Red Cross et al.

Agreed. Donate to well-known, respectable and reputable organisations and help will get to where it is so desperately needed. I know from speaking to my Turkish friends that the aid (of various forms) which is being sent from countries all around the world is so very much appreciated.

biglouis

Just wondering what % of the money that is being donated by well wishers will eventually go where it is needed rather into the hands of corrupt local officials and warlords.

I think I’d risk it rather than not donate. I’m pleased that DEC have already raised millions, and this is well coordinated to many charities, some of which were already working in Turkey prior to the earthquake.

I’m also a fan of Medecins sans Frontiers who have been working in Syria for some time. It is so awful that many of those affected were already displaced because of the Civil War in Syria. I visited Syria just before the war and beautiful cities such as Aleppo were in ruins, prior to this latest disaster.

All we can do is donate, but every morning when I wake I’m so grateful for a comfortable place to live, clothing food and family. How easily it can all be snatched away.

I think donating to DEC is safe and effective.

I agree Grantanow. DEC then channel funding to organisations like Medecine sans Frontieres, the Red CRoss, and, of course, Red Crescent and allthe other aid organisations.

It is what has happened to all the money the government had claimed it had set aside that is the big and uncomfortable question that the Turkish Prime Minister is going to need to face - and why earthquake proof building regulations were not enforced.

Grantanow

I think donating to DEC is safe and effective.

Yes, it is.

They were a bit slower this time so I donated to the Red Cross, but DEC funds are distributed between charities with different areas of expertise and the Government will match the first £5 million too.

I understand that as this disaster unfolds, many people in Turkey are angry and asking where the help is, why the main help is from overseas charities. Erdoğan's reaction to this has been to attempt to shut down social media. He cannot be blamed for the earthquake, but his administration have shown themselves to be totally unprepared; there should have been manpower, equipment, tents and field hospitals within 24 hours. I doubt the Turkish people will get answers as to what happened to the earthquake levy, but most will be able to guess.

biglouis

Just wondering what % of the money that is being donated by well wishers will eventually go where it is needed rather into the hands of corrupt local officials and warlords.

A dd worked for many years for a major NGO in disaster zones. They were extremely careful to ensure that the money did not make its way into corrupt pockets. In some areas the managers on the ground would not be local - I have heard of this being heavily criticised - but it’s because the local culture could easily mean someone being put under extreme pressure by a local chief or bigwig, to disburse cash at their command, or e.g. to buy supplies at an increased price from some business they have an interest in.

In post tsunami Aceh while dd was there, local (ordinary) villagers were being paid in cash to clear some of the colossal mass of debris, but after a while some of them complained that their village chief or headman was demanding a cut of their wages. So dd and a couple of others paid him a visit - he was an aggressive bloke with a rifle - and told him categorically that either it stopped, or in future nobody would get anything.
It stopped.

Dd is still working in the NGO sector and I’ve heard today that she’s on standby to go to Turkey.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I donated last night after watching an appeal by Daniel Craig. Still disturbed by the scenes and the children in a state of shock. I can only trust that it reaches where it’s needed, but better to give than not.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Your DD is a courageous woman, Witzend.
Well done to her and all those others who run to a disaster, not away.

HousePlantQueen

I understand that as this disaster unfolds, many people in Turkey are angry and asking where the help is, why the main help is from overseas charities. Erdoğan's reaction to this has been to attempt to shut down social media. He cannot be blamed for the earthquake, but his administration have shown themselves to be totally unprepared; there should have been manpower, equipment, tents and field hospitals within 24 hours. I doubt the Turkish people will get answers as to what happened to the earthquake levy, but most will be able to guess.

Never mind the actual earthquake levy, what about all the fees that were paid in order to get exemption from the building regulations that would have meant many fewer buildings reduced to rubble?
Where has all that money gone?