Search and rescue in disasters and caving activities

Disaster is still an important issue in Turkey, where there has been many disaters in the past.The 1999 Marmara Earthquake brought bitter experiences to both the public and civilian sectors. The understanding that the government is the only authority to deal with disasters lost its validity with the 1999 earthquake. Non-governmental organizations have contributed greatly to the search and rescue and recovery efforts in this great disaster. After this contribution, the importance of non-governmental organizations was understood once again. Although contribution has been made, there has been a lack of coordination between civil society organizations and public institutions. This lack of coordination is a result of the crisis management approach. With the establishment of AFAD in 2009, efforts were made to eliminate problems of authority and coordination. Turkey Emergency Response Plan which was published by AFAD, included both civil society organizations and search and rescue operations by focusing on collaboration. It is an enigma that clubs and associations that work with caving can find a place here. After being stuck in the cave in Thailand, it was understood how much preparation should be made in search and rescue in caves all over the world. For this reason, it is of great importance to support the search and rescue teams in the caves and to involve them in every stage of the fight against disasters.