Structural damages observed in 6 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes

Turkiye is an earthquake country with active faults. On February 6, 2023, there were two major destructive earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, with the epicenters in Kahramanmaraş Pazarcik and Kahramanmaraş Elbistan, and affected 11 cities. The region has a population of approximately 13.5 million. More than 50000 people lost their lives. It was determined that there were 61772 buildings that were heavily damaged, destroyed or needed to be demolished. Based on this bitter experience, it was desired to take attention to the structural deficiencies and mistakes made. It is thought that the points emphasized will be guiding for new constructions. Selection of unappropriate ground and foundation for construction, low concrete quality used, insufficient and flat reinforcement, errors and deficiencies in project design, application and inspection are the main reasons for demolitions. As a result of investigations, it was observed that the buildings that received adequate engineering services had good material and construction quality, and did not experience any deficiencies in inspection and implementation survived the earthquake without any damage or with very minor damage. It is noteworthy that the residences built by the Public Housing Administration (PHA) in the region did not suffer any catastrophic damage. The most important features of these houses can be listed as: ground surveys before application, raft foundation, tunnel formwork system, use of quality concrete and reinforcement, project implementation and controls during the construction phase. The difficulty of reaching aid due to collapsed buildings blocking the roads after the earthquake once again revealed the importance of planned urbanization.