Importance of disaster management and risk reduction studies in Turkey

The frequency and intensity of disasters are increasing worldwide. Disasters are situations that adversely affect the society and the environment in many aspects and jeopardise the safety of life and property. As a result of disasters, dozens of lives and property are lost every year and economies are severely damaged. According to the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) data, 1.23 million people lost their lives due to disasters between 2000 and 2019. Turkey is located in a geographical location prone to disasters such as earthquakes, floods and landslides. Especially due to large earthquakes, very destructive results occur and great losses are experienced. Therefore, it is important to reduce disaster risks and ensure resilience against disasters in order to protect against the negative effects of disasters and to prevent vulnerability to disasters. It is not possible to prevent the occurrence of disasters. However, it is possible to reduce the negative effects of disasters and the damages they cause by means of the measures taken, risk and damage reduction activities. An effective disaster management process is a comprehensive process consisting of four basic stages and requiring a planned preparation and implementation. These stages are listed as risk and damage reduction stage, preparation stage, response stage and recovery stage. Risk and mitigation phase of disaster management is important in terms of protection from the destructive effects of disasters and prevention of loss of life and property. Because identifying and addressing the risks enables the society to be more prepared against disasters and enables effective intervention against disasters.