Initial Geotechnical Observations of
the August 17, 1999, Kocaeli Earthquake

A report of the Turkey-US geotechnical earthquake engineering
reconnaissance team

A. Ansal, N. Abrahamson, J. P. Bardet, A. Barka, M. B. Baturay, M. Berilgen,
R. Boulanger, J. Bray, O. Cetin, L. Cluff, T. Durgunoglu, D. Erten, M. Erdik, D. Frost,
I. M. Idriss, T. Karadayilar, A. Kaya, W. Lettis, J. Martin, J. Mitchell,
G. Olgun, T. O'Rouke, W. Paige, E. Rathje, C. Roblee, R. Sancio, W. Savage,
R. Seed, P. Somerville, J. Stewart, B. Sunman, B. Swan,
S. Toprak, D. Ural, M. Yashinski, T. Yilmaz, and L. Youd

September 3, 1999

Outline

Summary

On August 17, 1999 at 3:02 AM a magnitude Mw 7.4 earthquake struck the Kocaeli area in the Northwest Turkey, which has a population of 20 million inhabitants (one third of Turkey’s total population) and encompasses nearly half of the country’s industry. This is one of the most devastating earthquakes of the twentieth century in view of the number of casualties and damage.

On August 29, 1999, preliminary rapid response estimates from the US 39th Air Expeditionary Squadron were that the death toll could be as high as 40,000, with the hardest hit cities being Golcuk/Degirmendere with 1 million people temporarily homeless. The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Ankara reports that the Prime Ministry Crisis Management Center (PMCMC) put the casualty figures at 13,479 dead and 27,164 injured as of August 28, 1999. On August 28, 1999, the PMCMC also estimated that 54,295 buildings were damaged. According to the Reconstruction Minister K. Aydin, the number of buildings which have collapsed and which will have to be demolished because of heavy damage is 27,000. He expects the number to reach 35,000 when their ongoing survey is completed. The Minister estimates that more than 200,000 housing units will have to be built. These numbers are likely to change as more information becomes available.

The earthquake epicenter was located at Izmit along the North Anatolian Fault, a strike-slip fault which presents many similarities to the San Andreas fault in California.

Emergency Response in Turkey

  1. The Ministry of Public Works and Settlements has so far deployed 550 experts to the affected area for damage assessment purposes. The Ministry also has 233 various construction machines in the area. The Department of Rural Affairs has sent 1,931 construction machines and 3,295 personnel to the affected area.
  2. Wireless communication systems have been set up in tent cities to keep the residents informed of developments. All transportation routes remain fully operational and international aircraft carrying relief supplies are provided the necessary landing, ground and handling services. Power generation and transmission problems have been solved to a large extent, and repair works on water supply systems continue.
  3. There are now 7 tent cities for the homeless population. A number of public facilities, with an aggregate bed capacity of 42,366, have been dedicated to the homeless. A guardianship capacity of 34,520 has been identified for children who have lost their parents, or whose families have been too heavily affected by the earthquake to take care of their children.
  4. The PMCMC reports that there is no pharmaceutical shortage. A psychosocial services unit has been inaugurated in Yalova and the Gulhane Military Medical Academy has created a psychiatric research and therapy center to service the earthquake victims around the clock.
  5. The Turkish Red Crescent has provided 29,725 tents, 79,200 blankets, 2,000 sleeping bags, 25,224 kg of food, 26 mobile kitchens and 4 mobile hospitals, two of them with a capacity of 200 beds each, one with 100 and one with 50 beds.
    6.

Location of main damaged areas

The earthquake damage is widespread in the Izmit bay in the East-West direction over a length of 100-150 km and is concentrated in several areas, including Izmit, Golcuk, Avcilar, Yalova, Adapazari, and Karamursel (map from )

 

Initial reconnaissance

This brief report summarizes the initial observations of the advanced party of the Turkey/US geotechnical reconnaissance team sponsored by the US National Science Foundation and various organizations from Turkey. This report covers the initial reconnaissance efforts between August 24 and August 31, 1999. Ongoing work will lead to more comprehensive reports in the future. The members of the advanced party are:

Acknowledgments

We would like to express all our thanks to our Turkish and American colleagues who helped us in our reconnaissance effort and to express our sympathy to the victims of this natural disaster.