The "drop, cover, hold" exercise to be held across the country at 6:57 p.m. on Nov. 12 will be carried out for the first time in Türkiye, on the anniversary of the Düzce earthquake that took place on Nov. 12, 1999.
Yunus Sezer, president of the Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD), spoke about the exercise "drop, cover, hold" that will be conducted for the first time in Türkiye nationwide. "We will not use the siren system (to avoid fear and panic)," he said. "Instead, we will reach our citizens through SMS notifications, mosques and municipality speakers, television and radio channels."
Sezer stated that the objectives of the 2021-2022 Disaster Education Year were to change the behavioral patterns of those who received training, increase awareness of earthquakes and other disasters, and update their knowledge. Around 56 million people received disaster awareness training in 2021 and 94,000 exercises were held in 2022.
Sezer noted that "earthquake and evacuation exercises" had recently taken place in facilities associated with the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and in dorms run by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
A "warning notification" was issued via SMS to 66.5 million individuals on Wednesday, regarding the exercise on Nov. 12. This message will be delivered on Friday and Saturday, along with an audible alert, and announcements will be made in the Friday sermon and on television and radio stations, Sezer said.
Students were also informed in schools to prepare everyone for participating in the exercise, Sezer emphasized.
He stated that during the exercise, the "drop, cover, hold" movement will be carried out in the predetermined solid and reliable areas.
"Experts and educators will analyze 'what we lack, what we encounter in practice' with the data obtained from the exercise.
"We are very happy at this point as we are aiming to create disaster awareness throughout the country, step by step. We're moving forward," he expressed.
Sezer stated that on the day of the exercise, high-level officials will gather at AFAD headquarters under the chairpersonship of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, and the exercise will be held in 81 provinces and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
He announced that a live broadcast would be established with the TRNC from Düzce, Istanbul, Zmir, Elaz, Kahramanmaraş and Erzurum and that experts would provide information about the earthquake exercise prior to, during and after it occurred.
Sezer went on to say that mobile simulation trucks will be available all over the nation and that the training facilities in Istanbul and Bursa will remain open 24 hours a day.
Some 593,000 people have volunteered and are actively participating in the exercises. Officials from our institutions and organizations, accredited nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and site administrators will actively participate in the coordination and evacuation exercise, he stated.
Within the scope of the exercise, participants should seek shelter next to or under a solid object in a place that is considered safe when the message is heard.