Turkey is known for its tourism elements such as the vibrant Istanbul or the Grand Bazaar market, it is also infamous for its earthquakes. 

This infamous part of Turkey, again became true on Feb. 6, 2023. A 75 second, 7.8 earthquake struck Southern and Central Turkey. According to PBS, there were over 47,000 deaths in both Turkey and Syria and was considered the strongest earthquake in Turkey’s history. Homes were destroyed, children were killed, and pets were trapped in rubble. 

On Feb. 27, another earthquake, this time a magnitude 5.6, hit both Turkey and Syria, killing one person in a factory collapse. 

“It will take time [for Turkey to repair the country], [and] probably make stronger buildings,” MBA senior Carlos Lopez said.

This brings up questions about California’s earthquake readiness.

The San Andreas Fault moves up and down to California all the way to Cape Mendocino, which is 200 miles north of San Francisco, and we’ve heard that California’s expected for a “big one”. Millikan had an earthquake drill only 3 days after the earthquakes in Turkey occurred.

“What we have been able to do in California is refurbish our buildings and have them already prepared for another big earthquake, and that’s true for emergency response too,” said Millikan’s SEGA Biology and Environmental Science teacher Mr. Cruz. “I think we will be more prepared for the fallout after and the people will be able to respond to the earthquake while it’s happening a lot better. We also have better technology that detects when an earthquake will happen.” 

According to Cruz, higher authorities like FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) can use a process called retrograding, the movement or return of serviceable and unserviceable material back through the distribution system. “Companies, businesses, and even government agencies that have the money should be actively retrograding their buildings,” he said.

There are several earthquake warning websites to use at your disposal. Technology is booming, developing stronger devices to detect when an earthquake will happen. If Millikan encounters a situation here, students can use some of the procedures for an earthquake like drop to the floor and hide under a desk/table, if you’re inside. If you’re outside, move as far away as you can (50 feet) from buildings and trees and remain in position until the ground stops shaking.