The business world came together to prepare for probable earthquakes. TÜSİAD, TÜRKONFED, SEDEFED and Business for Goals (B4G) organized a workshop series with the financial support of the UPS Foundation. Following the workshops held with the participation of leading companies and non-governmental organizations from the sectors of “transport and logistics”, “energy”, “information and communication technologies”, “finance and insurance” and “food and agriculture”, which are critically important for earthquakes, the “Istanbul Earthquake Scenario Business World Preparation Report” was published on the anniversary of the August 17th Earthquake.
Collaboration From The Business World For Getting Prepared For Probable Earthquakes
It has been 22 years since the August 17, 1999 Marmara Earthquake, one of the greatest disasters in Turkey's history. While the pain of the earthquake is still within us, disasters such as earthquakes, fires and floods, which we have recently experienced a lot and have caused serious loss of life and economic losses, once again showed how important it is to be prepared for disasters. We would like to use this opportunity to wish Allah’s mercy upon the citizens who lost their lives in the recent fire and flood disasters, our condolences to their relatives, and our best wishes to all our citizens affected by the disasters.
TÜSİAD and TÜRKONFED organized a series of workshops last February and March to raise the awareness of the business world, to increase the coordination power of the private sector, and to set a roadmap for strategically addressing crisis management against an expected big Istanbul earthquake. Leading industry companies and non-governmental organizations participated in the workshops organized primarily regarding the transportation and logistics, energy, information and communication technologies, finance and insurance and food and agriculture sectors that are critical for earthquakes under the cooperation of TÜSİAD, TÜRKONFED, SEDEFED and Business for Goals (B4G) and with the financial support of the UPS Foundation. The results of the workshop, which is the first output of the steps taken in this area, were shared in the “Istanbul Earthquake Scenario Business World Preparation Report” on the anniversary of the August 17 earthquake.
Three strategic steps for the business world
According to the report, the strategic priorities of the business world for earthquakes are: a-strengthening the support mechanism to assist public institutions in case of need, b-developing practical operational crisis management tools for businesses, especially SMEs, and c-strengthening intersectoral coordination for better use of resources. The report, which adopted a three-phase approach covering “life safety”, “ensuring business continuity” and “supporting the economic recovery of the city” also drew attention to the importance of ensuring coordination during the crisis.
Studies to develop the crisis management capacity of the business world and to set the roadmaps of the sectors will continue with the cooperation of TÜSİAD and TÜRKONFED.