Comparison of the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake with Earthquakes Defined in TBDY 2018.

The earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaras on February 6, 2023, is one of the largest earthquakes our country has experienced in recent years. According to the Turkish Building Earthquake Regulation (TBDR), the magnitude of this earthquake was 6.8. TBDR includes rules and standards for strengthening buildings in our country against earthquake risk. In this article, a comparison will be made between the Kahramanmaras earthquake on February 6, 2023, and earthquakes defined in TBDR 2018.

TBDR 2018 sets the conditions that all buildings in Turkey must meet in terms of earthquake risk. This regulation contains detailed information on how buildings should be constructed against earthquake effects, material selection, and controls and inspections to be performed. The regulation also determines which conditions buildings should be built according to earthquake zones.

Compared to earthquakes defined in TBDR 2018, the Kahramanmaras earthquake on February 6, 2023, does not meet the expectations of the regulation. TBDR 2018 foresees buildings being constructed according to different standards depending on the earthquake zones. Kahramanmaras is located in Turkey's second-degree earthquake zone, and buildings in this zone should be built to withstand earthquakes of at least magnitude 6. However, the Kahramanmaras earthquake on February 6, 2023, was 6.8 magnitude, and buildings were expected to withstand earthquakes of this magnitude. Therefore, the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaras caused buildings that were not constructed in accordance with the standards envisaged in TBDR 2018 to collapse and suffer damage.
Buildings constructed in accordance with the standards specified in TBDR 2018 may suffer less damage or not collapse completely during earthquakes. Therefore, it is essential for people living in earthquake zones to be knowledgeable about the earthquake resistance of their buildings and take necessary precautions in this regard.