Dr. Lecturer Kadir Kılınç from the Department of Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering at Kırklareli University made statements to the Alternatif Newspaper about the Istanbul Silivri earthquake and earthquake safe buildings.
In his assessment, Kılınç stated; “It is of great importance for people to develop earthquake awareness. Monitoring building activity before and after the disaster is an issue that requires great importance. The building activity monitoring system can be used to detect risks and dangers in the building before and after the disaster.”
Kılınç noted the following in his statement;
“On April 23, 2025, at 12:13, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake and at 12:49, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred 27 km off the coast of Silivri, Istanbul, with the epicenter. The 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred at a depth of 13.1 km from the seabed. This earthquake was felt in Istanbul and surrounding provinces, with no loss of life.
Earthquakes are unfortunately a reality in our country. The important thing here is to take all necessary precautions in the light of science. Our cities must be transformed into earthquake-resistant cities urgently. In order to prepare structures for earthquakes, the preparation of a simplified reinforcement regulation is of great importance. The goal of reinforcement in building-type structures is not to prevent damage to the buildings in severe earthquakes, but to ensure life safety by not collapsing. Our citizens living in earthquake-prone regions must definitely investigate the earthquake performance of their structures. It must be mandatory to have earthquake tests done on buildings.
It is also of great importance to create earthquake awareness in people. Monitoring building movement before and after a disaster is a matter that requires great importance. The building movement monitoring system can be used to detect risks and hazards in the building before and after a disaster. Building movement monitoring is a decision support system that continuously monitors and evaluates the behavior and structural integrity of structures. This system usually works in an integrated manner with sensors, data collection devices and data analysis software. In this way, early warnings can be provided and necessary precautions can be taken in cases where structures show any abnormality or potential problem. This system stands out as a mobile system. The system can be installed in the field in a very short time such as 10-15 minutes. Data can be collected in the building movement monitoring system. This system can precisely determine risk movement from a distance of up to 150 meters from the structure. At the same time, the slope and movement of the structures can be monitored wirelessly. As a result, it is aimed to minimize the loss of life and property.
The system can be transferred to the scene in a very short time before or after the disaster, and can start measurements directly without needing any energy in the field and share the risk status of the field. The system can operate with solar energy without needing energy. In addition, the system is monitored by a camera. The camera is activated in the system and the resulting image can be sent to the center. It can be emphasized that deformations or settlements in the structure pose a significant security risk especially during construction work in the structure itself or in its immediate vicinity. Thanks to this system, the risk and dangerous areas that may occur in the closed tunnels of the transportation line in the metro and light rail systems, which are the most important parts of transportation in the city, and in the lines continuing on the ground can be monitored 24 hours a day. In this way, it is possible to ensure that the transportation line is protected by taking precautions much before the danger to life and property occurs. Crack sensors are used in this system to monitor structural defects and cracks. As a result, the risk movement of the structure can be monitored instantly. As a result, disaster area and structure mobility monitoring systems should be expanded urgently. These systems can instantly report structure movements and shifts below mm.
The vital importance of earthquake awareness should be taken into consideration by all our citizens.”