Page 247 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 2

Zerrin Toprak Karaman - Özlem Çakır - Meriç Aziz Berge

storm did not turn into a disaster, the people of Izmir felt its effect. Despite
public announcements about climate change, the administration has difficulty
convincing the people in the process of risk management.
As part of the early warning systems concerning storm, 2018 witnessed a
first, which drew the attention of the public. The cases of death while people
were watching the waves in action revealed that individuals are not cognitively
ready for the issue. Storms and the ensuing cyclones seems to have become
a routine in the lives of people living in the Black Sea, Aegean, and the
Mediterranean regions. In a storm that broke out over the Mediterranean Sea
on Jan 24th 2019, 4 houses were destroyed (Antalya), roofs were damaged, cars
flowed into the sea, and many other cars were flooded. Sorrowful cases such
as the death of a 13-year-old child by the blow of the objects flying over her
head have turned into routine news. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly
announced a 100-million-TL damage (January 27, 2019). Such economic losses
also come to the fore in almost all cases of disasters. Just as the news of the
disaster was digested, the same type of disaster appeared with the news of a
cyclone that caused losses and damage in Mersin on Jan 30th 2019.
As well as the financial management of damage and losses caused by
disasters, such disasters also reveal the importance of the government’s
responsibility to maintain public safety and the need for people to follow
the necessary instructions. Moreover, vulnerable groups such as children,
the elderly, and people with special needs, especially those with hearing
impairments or physical handicaps are affected more by such disasters and fail
to escape them on time. For this reason, it is important to use early warning
systems in meteorological phenomena. In stormy weathers, in the country
or the city, behaviors that heed the warnings such as drivers or pedestrians
staying indoors gain great importance. In other words, depending on the
disaster type, the importance of developing the right behavioral reflexes,
and management of processes such as risk and crises planning has been
understood.
Every day, there are news reports of life and property loss and damage
overseas. The European countries along the Western borders of Türkiye are
deeply affected by severe storms as well. On Feb 10th 2020, due to Hurricane
Ciara, or Sabina, experienced in Europe, life came to a grinding halt, when 6
people were killed and tens were injured. 2 people in England and 1 person
in Slovenia died due to trees falling on their cars. In Poland, 2 people died
due to the storm and the bad weather conditions, while 55,000 houses were
deprived from electricity. News report that due to bad weather conditions
many buildings were damaged and there were interruptions in transportation.
The hurricane affected many European countries. In Sweden, a person whose

233 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate