THE 99 MARMARA EARTHQUAKE AND AFTERWARDS Specialist Doctor Ayse Emel ÖNAL, Prof. Dr. Yakut Irmak ÖZDEN Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Departement of Public Health-TURKEY

On 17th August 99 Turkey's Marmara Region was shaked by an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 as measured on the Richter scale. The outcome was frightful: 17 480 deaths, 43 953 wounded and 200 000 homeless.

This earthquake gave rise to a multitude of serious public health problems such as : difficulties in the provision of safe water, sewage problems, housing difficulties, those related to the collection of wastage.

There was no mobile hospital and no burn center and no trauma center, The number of hospital beds, and that of health personel were not sufficient to meet the needs, Intensive care, and hemodialysis services, as well as the supply of blood were quite inadequate.  

Due to the lack of personnel in the primary health centers, basic needs such as: immunization, mother and child health, the examination of patients and laboratory analyses could not be met acceptably. There were also difficulties in the inhumation of deceased people.

On the other hand, the earthquake triggered a number of serious environmental risks: A series of explosions happening at TUPRAŞ ( petroleum factory ) just after the earthquake caused very serious damage also.

6500 tons of acrylonitrile ran out of the AKSA acrylic factory and got into the sea and the soil.

Period of rehabilitation and restoration began after the earthquake: Settlement of homeless people in transitory homes and accelerated construction of new houses for them,

reopening of schools, and workplaces, and providing psychological help and support to the survivors.

Rehabilitation study in Halkalı Agriculture School –Küçükçekmece ÇYDD, İstanbul, August 1999

Mail:onale@istanbul.edu.tr I correspond with scientists in public health area with e-mail frequently I got acquainted with this supercourse in 2001, after the Congress of Epidemiology, Toronto, Canada I have been interested in Prof. Ron LaPorte’s mail and our communication with the supercourse team began in this way....