GAZIANTEP, Turkey —In response to the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and neighboring Syria today, Miyamoto International has dispatched its earthquake structural engineering and humanitarian assistance experts from its Istanbul and California offices to provide support. The earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.8, have claimed over 6000 lives so far and injured hundreds of thousands, with the toll expected to rise.

The earthquakes hit southeast Turkey and Syria, with the first epicenter near the city of Gaziantep. The residential apartment buildings in the area are mostly made of brittle concrete and are extremely vulnerable to the shaking caused by earthquakes. Reports indicate that over 6,000 buildings have collapsed, with hundreds of thousands more damaged. We expect the total of collapsed structures will rise to 10,000. The situation in the region is dire, as hundreds of thousands of people are facing homelessness, with the added challenge of winter temperatures.

“”It’s essential to move quickly and provide assistance to those in need. Our Turkish teams and other organizations deployed on the ground face an extreme emergency. Miyamoto International is coordinating the deployment of our earthquake engineering and humanitarian assistance experts with the United Nations and Turkish Government to employ the lessons we have learned from our 100+ major disaster responses.” – Dr. Kit Miyamoto, CEO