More than 9 million houses in Türkiye lack earthquake insurance

A total of 9.2 million houses across the country and 1.6 million in Istanbul do not have earthquake insurance.

The province with the highest insurance rate was Bolu, and the province with the lowest was Hakkari, TRT Haber reports.

According to the information compiled from TCIP data, although 23 years have passed after the earthquake, which caused thousands of casualties and billions of dollars in economic damage, the number of houses with earthquake insurance increased each year, but the desired levels were still not reached.

Currently, 53.90 per cent of 20 million 32 thousand houses in Turkey, that is, 10 million 795 thousand 698 houses, have earthquake insurance. 9 million 236 thousand 302 houses do not have Compulsory Earthquake Insurance yet.

Marmara, where the most intense urbanization in the country and 6 million 840 thousand houses are located, was the region that showed the most interest in earthquake insurance. There is Compulsory Earthquake Insurance for 4 million 302 thousand 607 houses in the region with a rate of 62.90 per cent.

The Marmara Region was followed by the Aegean with 54.60%, Central Anatolia with 49.20%, Eastern Anatolia with 48.70%, Southeast Anatolia with 48.30%, the Mediterranean with 47.20% and the Black Sea with 44.40%.

The highest insurance rate is in Bolu, the lowest in Hakkari

The insurance rates of metropolitans increase to 61.90 per cent in Istanbul, 58.50 per cent in Izmir, 56.10 per cent in Ankara, 57.40 per cent in Bursa and 53 per cent in Antalya. reached 40.

While the provinces with the highest rate of compulsory earthquake insurance are Bolu with 84.10 per cent, Yalova with 82.10 per cent and Tekirdağ with 78.70 per cent, the provinces with the lowest insurance rate are Hakkari with 14.20 per cent, Gümüşhane with 31.10 per cent and It was determined as Muş with 31.90.

After the earthquakes that have occurred since the establishment of TCIP in September 2000, 1 billion 248 million TL was paid to the damage owners.

In Istanbul, which is known as the "capital of the economy" where a major earthquake is expected by experts, the insurance rate has exceeded the average of the Marmara Region.

While it is seen that 61.9 of the 4 million 153 thousand houses in the megacity are insured, the number of houses without earthquake insurance was recorded as 1 million 582 thousand 505.

Experts call for the construction of TCIP against earthquakes, the strengthening of risky buildings and their conversion if necessary.

In his statement on the subject, the President of the Earthquake Strengthening Association (DEGUDER), Sinan Türkkan, said that Turkey, which is in an active earthquake zone, faces such danger at any moment, and that a severe earthquake is expected in Marmara.

Expressing that the desired progress has not been achieved in terms of strengthening and transforming risky residences across the country, Türkkan warned the citizens that they should hurry on this issue.

Türkkan stated that 150 billion dollars of damage is foreseen in a possible severe earthquake in Istanbul and continued his words as follows:

"While there is a big earthquake risk in front of us, we still have not taken action for risky buildings in the city. We see that nearly 40 per cent of the residents do not have earthquake insurance. We recommend our citizens to strengthen their buildings and have TCIP against earthquakes. Very heavy, heavy and moderate damage in a possible severe earthquake in the megacity. The number of houses expected to be bought is 600 thousand. A 'reinforcement mobilization' should be started urgently for these houses.

Our citizens should take action, our government should support the process, and municipalities should facilitate the removal of barriers to empowerment. Otherwise, the consequences of a severe earthquake will be very dire."

Erdal Turgut, Coordinator of the Natural Disaster Insurance Institution (DASK), also stated that nearly 11 million houses are insured in Turkey at the moment and that their goals are; He said there was "no housing left without insurance".

Stating that the insurance rates are quite high in the provinces that experienced earthquakes, Turgut said, "As an institution, we will continue our efforts to take the necessary measures without experiencing painful experiences. We will implement projects that will further the success of TCIP since its establishment and the trust of our people in this institution. "Since our establishment, we have been telling different age groups from 7 to 77 about the reality of earthquakes and the importance of taking precautions against earthquakes," he said.

Turgut talked about the activities they have implemented as an institution to explain the importance of TCIP to the citizens.

Erdal Turgut underlined that they aim to financially secure all residences and thus be with the insured in their recovery process after the earthquake, and made the following statements:

"We know that our policyholders, who receive compensation payments after earthquakes, set an example for our citizens who do not have insurance. As TCIP, we make all our plans by considering the possible major Istanbul earthquake. Our total damage payment capacity in an earthquake in the 2021-2022 period is 46 billion TL. This capacity was created completely independently of government resources and will only be used for the compensation of earthquake-related damages to the homes of Compulsory Earthquake Insurance policy holders.

In this context, Turgut noted that the most important project they are currently working on is "Conversion of Compulsory Earthquake Insurance to Disaster Insurance" and said, "We are continuing our work within the scope of our project on integrating other natural disaster types, especially floods, into compulsory earthquake insurance. 2023' We aim to complete it.” used his statements.

Helmann Chairman of the Board of Directors Selman Özgün called on the citizens to have TCIP built in their houses and said that in a possible earthquake, financial losses can be compensated to some extent in this way.

Emphasizing that "buildings should be tested for earthquake resistance" against earthquakes, Özgün said:

"Risky structures should be strengthened if possible. Buildings that cannot be saved with reinforcement should be transformed. However, we know that at least 90 per cent of risky structures can be saved with reinforcement. In this way, the waste of resources is reduced and non-recyclable concrete is prevented from being released into nature. Newly constructed buildings are already built in accordance with earthquake regulations. However, if we build our houses with alternative materials to concrete such as steel, adobe and wood, the risks in this regard will be largely eliminated.

Selman Özgün pointed out that occupational health and safety inspection will contribute to the earthquake, albeit indirectly. I am of the opinion that this will contribute, albeit indirectly, to the earthquake." he said.

MasterTürk Group President Gökhan Taş stated that 13,5 thousand buildings are predicted to be severely damaged in a possible earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 and above, and said that they should be evacuated as soon as possible.

Calling for quick action for the transformation of these buildings, Taş made the following assessments:

"The way to do this is for residents to have building inspections. We have said many times before: We should not be late for urban transformation. Recently, important decisions have been taken by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to accelerate the transformation. Our citizens should benefit from the incentives and supports given for transformation, municipalities and other relevant Public institutions should encourage this work. Urban transformation is a must for our country, which is in the earthquake zone, and for Istanbul, whose population is approaching 20 million, including its guests."