The renowned Turkish seismologist Naci Görür has warned of the significant danger threatening Istanbul, Turkey's second-largest city, which has a population of about 16 million people. In a tweet on his account, the famous academic addressed the politicians in his country, urging them to prevent a major disaster in the city, as scientific indicators confirm that a devastating earthquake will strike Istanbul, making it essential to prepare the city for this event.
He pointed out the necessity of relocating most institutions or industrial areas from the Marmara region, calling for a halt on investments in Istanbul and accelerating the process of migration and relocating residents from the city to Anatolia, encouraged by state institutions. He emphasized the importance of not granting any additional building permits and noted the need to rapidly repair the infrastructure and foundations of buildings in Istanbul to make them earthquake-resistant.
In the Turkish expert's view, "Istanbul will face the threat of destructive earthquakes due to the presence of a major northern branch of the North Anatolian Fault," adding that "the solutions to mitigate the risks of this disaster and the ability to confront it lie in transforming it into an earthquake-resistant city." He clarified that it is impossible to determine the location and timing of the earthquake expected to impact the city. Görür based his predictions for a huge earthquake in Istanbul on the existence of a "gap" that will lead to what is referred to as the "great and devastating Marmara earthquake," which, in some areas of the city, could reach a magnitude of approximately 10 on the Richter scale, effectively resembling two consecutive earthquakes but can be considered four earthquakes simultaneously due to its intensity.
According to the expert's predictions, the Asian side of Istanbul will be less affected by the earthquake than the European side of the city due to the anticipated quake, with its intensity expected to decrease to 9 degrees in parts of Istanbul parallel to the coast and in the northern areas.
