I visited Christchurch in New Zealand shortly after the earthquake there, and it was notable how older buildings, such as the cathedral, which had been built before they upped their building standards, had suffered far more damage than newer buildings built to take earthquakes into account. Looking at the total collapse of many buildings in Turkey and Syria, I rather doubt if they had been built to standards that took the fact that they were in an earthquake zone into account. Just as the UK government was at fault for the building standards that allowed the Grenfell Tower disaster to happen, the Turkish and Syrian governments seem to have been at fault here, meaning the tragic loss of life was far greater than might otherwise have been the case. This is not a matter of trying to put the blame for the disaster on the unfortunate people killed and injured, but perhaps suggesting that lessons need to be learned for any government whose country is in an earthquake zone.
Richard Greenhough ● 42d