Earthquakes in Kahramanmaras; Assessment of Affected Areas and Recommendations for Settlement Regeneration

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, two catastrophic earthquakes hit Turkey, causing significant damage and casualties. The main causes of these results are improper constructions and settlement placements. Regions where earthquake damage is typical are cities developed on fertile agricultural lands. Site selection for land suitability is one of the main application areas of the Geographical Information System (GIS). The Multi-Criteria Decision Approach (MCDA) has provided consistent and sufficient alternatives to decision-makers for land use planning activities for many years. This study focused on a large area covering five provinces with a total area of 36.409 km2 as the whole region represents 110.000 km2 and is challenging to manage in a single segment. Moreover, the heaviest damages were observed in the study area. Nine criteria were considered while using the weighted overlay function of the GIS via the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). Agricultural and forest regions were excluded from the scope and the entire study area; 84.0% unsuitable, 0.4% low suitable, 1.5% moderately suitable, 11.3% suitable, and 3.2% highly suitable areas were identified for the post-disaster regeneration of settlements.