Disaster management in Turkey: A model proposal on the axi̇s of ri̇sk management

Disasters occurring in the world affect many people in a multidimensional way every passing day and impose an economic burden on countries in various aspects. This situation naturally forces humanity to fight against disasters and develop a reaction against disasters. The desire to at least minimize the loss of life and property and the economic burden of disasters, especially earthquakes, will only be possible with an effective, efficient and sustainable management approach. The aim of the thesis study carried out with this approach is to present a model proposal focused on "Risk and Risk Management", which has been frequently discussed and generally accepted in the context of Disaster Management in Turkey. The first methods that come to mind when disaster is mentioned in Turkey are; "absolute intervention", "remediation" and "healing the wound" approaches. Although there have been some operations or "movements" regarding risk management in recent years, the reflection of this approach on the field is full of deficiencies and inadequacies. However, when examples of management approaches applied against disasters experienced in the world are examined, the exact opposite situation is also the case. In other words, there is a "risk" that needs to be managed first. Countries such as Japan, where risk management is at the forefront, have tried to prevent or reduce the devastating effects of disasters before they happen and have achieved successful results. This situation necessitates Turkey to reflect the understanding of risk and risk management as a dominant practice in disaster management in order to be prepared for disasters. This thesis, which is about a model proposal on the axis of risk management regarding disaster management in Turkey, generally consists of three parts. The first part of the study; While it reflects the conceptual framework regarding disaster and disaster management, in the second part, examples of countries most exposed to disasters and the roles of international organizations on disasters are examined. The disaster management systems of the countries in question were compared with the disaster management systems of Turkey. In this section, the disaster management system in Turkey is discussed in detail with the opinions of many subject experts and experienced people who have gained experience by working in the field for many years. The third part of the study aims to present a model proposal on the axis of risk management. This thesis, which is about a model proposal in the axis of risk management regarding disaster management in Turkey, consists of three parts in general. The first part of the study covers the conceptual framework regarding disaster and disaster management, while the second part examines examples of countries that are constantly exposed to disasters and the roles of international organizations in these countries on disasters. In other words, the disaster management systems of the countries in question are compared with the disaster management systems in Turkey. The third part of the study aims to present a model proposal in the axis of risk management. In the third part of the research, there is a study process created with "mixed method technique". This process consists of three stages. The stages progress with the "inductive technique" and end with the development of a model proposal. The stages develop in a hierarchy of qualitative research techniques, quantitative data, SWOT analyses and presenting the model proposal based on the data obtained as a result of these studies, respectively. The data collection method used in the study is as follows: In the first stage of the study, which is the qualitative research technique, data obtained as a result of face-to-face interviews with a total of 25 people who have been working in disaster-risk management field work / management staff for years from Istanbul/Istanbul surroundings, Ankara and Van provinces are included. The interview data were converted to texts, analyzed and finalized with the MAXQDA 24 program. The quantitative data, which is the second stage of the research, are as follows; It has been obtained from institutions and organizations such as AFAD, Kızılay, UMKE, EM-DAT, OECD, TUİK, ÇŞİB, DASK, both through official requests and from the data on their official websites. The quantitative data obtained reveal the "risk profile of Turkey" in the study. The third and final stage, SWOT matrices, is also based on the analysis of SWOT matrices developed based on the data obtained from the interview participants. In the light of all this data obtained, a "working mechanism" has been created with the proposed model for the prevention of risk factors or minimizing risks. In this context, the model proposed in the thesis study is based on the establishment of the "Ministry of Emergency and Disaster", the Ministry in the proposed model having its own separate budget, ensuring provincial/district organization, establishing a scientific advisory board, and a strong multi-layered working mechanism with stakeholders. The working mechanism of the proposed model is based on the "risk management" focused work that aims to identify and minimize risks in order to increase the resilience of the city and society in ordinary situations, and in extraordinary situations; In order to carry out effective, efficient and sustainable disaster management against disasters, it aims to develop applications based on the central management of intervention and crisis management activities.