İnce, Elif Gökçe; Çakıl, Burak; Şimşek, Mutlu; İnce, Ozan

Two major earthquakes occurred on the East Anatolian Fault Zone in Türkiye on February 6, 2023. The epicenter of these earthquakes was Pazarcık and Elbistan, distinct from Kahramanmaraş province. These earthquakes occurred on the same day, 9 hours apart, and effected a very large area. This study evaluates the damage in reinforced concrete buildings during the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. Firstly, this study examined Türkiye’s seismicity, fault lines, and recent earthquakes in Türkiye. Then, the fault rupture of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes and the affected regions from these earthquakes were exam-ined. Acceleration records of the Pazarcık and Elbistan earthquakes were evaluated by comparing them with the Türkiye Building Earthquake Code-2018 (TBEC-2018). These acceleration records were compared with the largest earthquake (DD1) and design earthquake (DD2) defined in TBEC-2018. Requirements for earthquake-resistant building design and the deficiencies in the current Türkiye building stock were discussed. Damages in RC buildings were evaluated in terms of design and construction perspectives. It has been observed that deficiencies are frequently made in the application of reinforcement details in RC buildings. Brittle shear damage has been commonly observed in reinforced concrete buildings, even though they are expected to behave ductile. Design and construction deficiencies have been observed to be widespread even in buildings still under construction.

Balkar, Oğuz Emre; Akar, Alper; Akar, Özlem

Earthquakes represent a serious risk to societies, economies, and critical infrastructure, highlighting the need for effective disaster preparedness and resilient humanitarian supply chains (HSCs). In seismically active regions such as Erzincan Province, Türkiye, HSC distribution networks must remain functional despite significant disruptions. This study proposes a five-stage mixed-method framework to design and optimize HSC distribution channels for a potential major earthquake in the central district of Erzincan. First, buildings and transportation links were evaluated in terms of seismic suitability to pre-select candidate main distribution centers (MDCs), local distribution points (LDPs), and low-risk routes. Proximity analyses were then conducted using Quantum GIS (QGIS) to identify potential LDPs within a 1–5 km service radius for 69 neighborhoods. These locations were further validated and optimized using Greenfield analyses in anyLogistix under a distance–demand cost minimization criterion. Four distribution channel scenarios were subsequently simulated over a two-month post-earthquake period in line with national and international disaster standards. Finally, the Shortest Path Method was applied to assign primary, secondary, and tertiary LDPs to each neighborhood. The results indicate that supplying nine LDPs (comprising schools and healthcare centers) through four MDCs, including a newly designated sports facility, minimizes transportation cost, travel distance, and lead time, while enabling 63.8% of neighborhoods to access their primary LDP within 3 km. The proposed framework offers a holistic approach by explicitly incorporating seismic compliance into the design of HSC distribution channels in earthquake-prone regions.