natural disasters

Earthquake

Duzce

November 12, '99
7:00 p.m.

Thousands more dead.

Aftershocks still continue.

Adapazari

August 17, '99
3:00 a.m.

Over 17,000 dead

44,000 injured

More than 1,382 aftershocks

Rescue teams worked three days on end in one collapsed building and finally their efforts were rewarded with a succesful recovery of a 27 year old.

After the Kocaeli earthquake, skating rings were turned into morgues and stadiums into field hospitals. Many, like this woman, were treated for injuries or Med-evaced to Istanbul for further medical care. (right)
Noone was expecting a similar disaster to hit so soon to the neighboring town of Duzce. (right)

Family of Aydin Yildirim in Adapazari waited in vain for the search teams to find him alive. After the fourth day of search and still no sign of life father Yildirim refused to leave the site (left)
Many families, like this one, had to spend days on end without shelter as government agencies tried to reach the area (left)

Civil defense teams, along with locals carry basic equipment for searchand recovery to where heavy machinery cannot reach in Adapazari, on the third day of the first major earthquake that hit Turkey in 25 years (top left)

As the deathtoll climbs over 17,000 the morgues are filled up to capacity. New arrivals are lined up at the hospital grounds for identification and immediate burial (right)

Members of the Virginia Task Force 1 (VA-TF1) search team use a "smartcam" as they look for survivors (middle left) as their colleagues monitor recovery efforts in a nearby site (bottom left)

Trained canine recovery units wait in tow to record any signs of life two days after the Duzce earthquake. (top) Following days of continuous search all rescue teams show signs of exhaustion. (bottom)

Locals provide a wealth of information for the VA-TF1 in Adapazari, as they comb the area in a grid system looking for collapsed buildiings that may still inhibit life. (bottom left)

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