Expected Unexpected: Earthquakes

ICOMOS Panel Series – “Expect Unexpected: Earthquake” organized by ICORP Crisis Monitoring and Response Working Group

The disaster on February 6th, 2023, continued with 2 major earthquakes, causing many casualties and damage to cultural heritage structures in Türkiye and Syria. More than 60.000 people died, and many of them were injured.

This Catastrophe showed us that dynamic planning with a multidisciplinary approach in all stages of Disaster Risk Management on Cultural Heritage, preparation, emergency response, and recovery is crucial for Cultural Heritage and its users.

The purpose of “ICOMOS Panel Series – Expect Unexpected” is to share experiences and knowledge to be more prepared for protecting the cultural heritage from future natural events and unexpected human disasters. In particular, the panel focuses on the critical response phase of the emergency for cultural heritage and users. This first one is dedicated to earthquakes.

The conference´s speakers and subjects included the following:

1rst day of the panel: Best Practices And Lessons Learnt From The Work In The Area Of Expertise For Managing Earthquakes

· Moderator: Zeynep Gül Ünal

· Hosting: Zeynep Ece Atabay

· Teresa Patricio

Opening Speech

· Zeynep Gül Ünal

“Log of 6 February Earthquake From Zero Second to Today”

· Rohit Jigyasu

“Connecting Response to Recovery for Building Resilience: Challenges and Opportunities”

· Aparna Tandon

“First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Merge Scale Disasters”

· Xavier Romão

“Things to have in mind when planning for earthquake emergency response in cultural heritage”

· Kai Weise

“Preparation and response to the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake: lessons we should have learned”

· Takeyuki Okubo

“Research on Historical Courtyards Used for Evacuation Sites in Gorkha Earthquake 2015 – At Patan old town, World Heritage Site in Nepal”

· Riin Alatalu

“General insight on the challenges and risks of involving NGOs and communities in crisis management”

2nd day of the panel: Presentations Of ICOMOS Türkiye And ICOMOS Syria And Discussion Of The Problems That They Are Facing

· Moderator: Verónica Casanovas González

· Hosting: Zeynep Ece Atabay

· Cultural Heritage In Syria And Crisis Response After The February 6, 2023 Earthquake

Luna Rajab

· Early Damage Assessments On Vaqf Buildings In 7 Provinces On The Earthquake Region

Prof Dr Ahmet Türer

Assoc. Prof: Dr. Emre Kishalı

Dr. Umut Almaç

Esra Ekşi Balcı

· Discussion About The Problems Faced By Syria And Türkiye:

Speakers of the two-days panel and participants

· Teresa Patricio

Closing Speech