The panel titled ‘Marmara Earthquake and Earthquake Effect on Industry’ was held by Prof. Gebze Chamber of Commerce (GTO) and the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB). Dr. It was held at the Osman Hamdi Bey Cultural Center in Gebze district of Kocaeli, with the participation of Naci Görür. The panel was attended by chamber presidents and managers, engineers and architects, and industrialists.
‘WHAT HAPPENED THAT IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS NO EARTHQUAKE IN ISTANBUL’
Speaking about the expected Istanbul earthquake, Prof. Dr. Naci Görür, “They say, ‘That won’t happen in Istanbul, that won’t happen, I don’t know what.’ Now think about it like this: Apart from the geological processes in which the earthquake occurred in Istanbul, there is also a historical process. In other words, Ottoman books write about the 1509 earthquake in Istanbul. Earthquakes during the Byzantine period exist in Byzantine records. There is in 1506, there is in 1706, there is in 1894, soon there is in 1999. In other words, the Marmara Sea is an earthquake sea, we know that sea as people working in it. The reason for its existence is the fault. Because that fault worked, it became this sea. Also, a historian who has never known an earthquake can tell you which earthquakes occurred. They even call it ‘earthquake’ in Ottoman records. ‘There was an earthquake, the sultan distributed so much stuff. There are also records saying ‘the sultan got up and went to Edirne’ or ‘so much money was given to this person and so much goods were sent due to that earthquake’. So there is an earthquake in the history of Istanbul. What happened? Now it is said that ‘There is no earthquake in Istanbul’. So ‘that fault was broken, that fault was broken, Naci Görür lied, he said wrong’ is not important. There is an earthquake in Istanbul. If it was yesterday, it will happen again one day. I mean, what’s wrong with saying ‘Be prepared for an earthquake in Istanbul’ and then you pose to people saying ‘there won’t be an earthquake’? Let people prepare. Let the state and government do what is necessary. “Do not pay any attention to the poor scientists whose knowledge is self-evident and who want to gain a place for themselves, there is no need,” he said.
‘THERE WILL BE AN EARTHQUAKE’
“There must be an earthquake in Marmara,” said Prof. Dr. Görür said, “As the scientists of this country, as the head of the Turkish side of all the research carried out in Marmara for 14 years with all international ships, French, Italian and 2 Turkish ships, I say that Marmara is under threat, there must be an earthquake in Marmara. The longer it is delayed, the harder it feels. It means it will blow more like cotton wool. “There will be an earthquake,” he said.
‘WHAT FAULT HAS BREAKED IN YOU, WHICH WILL BE BROKEN?’
Noting that the job to be done is to prepare for the earthquake, Prof. Dr. Görür said:
‘1999 is a milestone. Nothing will ever be the same from now on.’ Now I feel like laughing. What happened? How many years have passed? Christ is over. Now is the new milestone. It will not be the same after February 6th. It doesn’t suit us. It does not suit us as a nation. In other words, even if politics approves it, the nation should not approve of it. The owner of the property is the nation itself. With your votes, I can either come somewhere or go with your votes. The responsibility of the country is on your back. You can have whatever you want, whenever you want. You don’t see anyone who doesn’t do what you want, they just walk away. This is no joke. Don’t be a child. What do you think about which fault broke, which one will break, how many years have passed, what will happen? Are you a geologist? Give up on this. What you need to know is that Marmara is under the threat of an earthquake. The scientific world says this. Our job is to prepare for the earthquake, to demand and force those who govern us to prepare our city and our location for the earthquake. “This is our duty,” he said.
‘LET’S COLLECT OUR MIND’
Stating that the earthquake is above politics, Prof. Dr. Görür said, “Let’s vote for whichever party we want, but let’s say to the party we vote for, ‘You will make the places where I live earthquake resistant.’ You will make the areas where I live, my city, earthquake resistant.’ If you have the idea, the remembrance, the will, the intention to do this, if you have a plan, if you have a program, you will have my vote. If not, I’ll bury you in the ballot box. Earthquake is above politics. We do not gather our children, women and people under the rubble just because this one is from CHP, this one is from AK Party, this one is from MHP. Our own people. Let’s come to our senses. You know what’s the only thing we can do? It’s not a long struggle, just ask for it when you vote and go to the polls. We are not a nation that does this. What happened to this nation? I don’t understand what this is. What is this, what kind of weather is it? he said.
‘CAN WE NOT BE AS MUCH AS EYT PEOPLE’
“Can’t we be as good as EYT members?” Görür said, “There were presidential elections. The presidential candidates debated in those elections. They held thousands, hundreds of meetings. 3 or 5 people did not come out and raise a banner saying ‘we want an earthquake resistant city’. I went on TV and said ‘do this’. So is a candidate speaking in Van? ‘We want an earthquake-resistant Van.’ Is he speaking in Elazığ? ‘We want earthquake-resistant Elazığ.’ If you had removed this, rest assured that presidential candidates would have included it on their agenda. What did the President say to EYT members? ‘If I knew, he said, that I would lose power, I would not give even a dime to the EYT members, so to speak.’ What happened next? Didn’t he? Can’t we be as good as EYT members? Why can’t we, as a nation, take our own future, our generation, and the safety of our children seriously? “This bothers me,” he said.
