Istanbul Mayor prepare for imminent earthquake, scan buildings for earthquake proof

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu announced that buildings constructed after 2000 will also be subjected to “quake-resistance inspections” to assess their durability against earthquakes and that tenants can also apply to the municipality for the houses they live in.

After multiple quakes rattled Türkiye’s south, officials are speeding up the work for the long-awaited Istanbul earthquake.

While experts state that the Istanbul earthquake may be imminent, citizens are wondering about whether their houses are quake-resistant or not.

Thus, İmamoğlu announced new earthquake measures taken for the metropolis.

He stated that the “rapid scanning” method for the buildings constructed by the municipality now includes the structures built after 2000.

Emphasizing that the structures built before 2000 are their first priority, İmamoğlu said that their teams will examine the younger buildings as well.

Following the major quakes in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay, in Istanbul, where another major quake has been expected for a long time, applications for quake-resistance inspections increased by 90 percent.

As of Feb. 20, 45,000 new applications have been received by the municipality.