Restoration activities following the Izmit, Turkey earthquake of August 17, 1999.

Bibliography: p. 22-23

By any standard or definition, the earthquake that struck northwestern Turkey on August 17, 1999 was a major disaster. Measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, the earthquake was centered near the cities of Izmit, Golcuk, and Adapazari. It damaged or destroyed as many as 100,000 buildings, left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, and, according to official estimates, resulted in the dealths of nearly 16,000 people. The earthquake also had a major impact on large industrial facilities in the region, and estimates of its economic impacts vary between 5 billion and 10 billion US dollars. While preliminary estimates of the economic costs associated with the earthquake vary widely, actual costs will likely be substantial given the sheer magnitude of the event. Because the earthquake occurred in a largely urban and industrialized area, it resulted in widespread physical damage and severe social and economic disruptions. This paper describes recent activities that have been initiated to restore social routines to the impacted region, focusing on the early recovery phase