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The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) will establish 18 Mehmetcik (a colloquial term for Turkish soldiers) disaster support bases across the country, with a total capacity of 9,000 people, as part of a new disaster response roadmap developed following the February 2023 earthquakes, according to a report published by the Türkiye daily on Monday.
The Ministry of National Defense and the Turkish Armed Forces developed the new strategy following the catastrophic Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes. The two major tremors, measuring magnitude 7.8 and 7.5, struck nine hours apart on separate fault lines centered in Kahramanmaras, affecting 11 provinces and killing more than 50,000 people.
The Turkish Land Forces Command will establish 18 Mehmetcik Disaster Support Bases (MADU, Turkish acronym) at 18 locations for emergency response during disasters.
Each base will have a capacity of 500 people, bringing the total capacity to 9,000 personnel for immediate disaster response.
The facilities will include mobile bathrooms, mobile laundry units, toilet containers, dining halls, social areas, schools, nurseries, mosques, children's playgrounds, fire stations, canteens, hairdressers, barbers, post offices, health stations, ambulances, generators and water tanks.
As a Disaster Health Group Support Solution Partner, the Ministry of National Defense will provide support in coordination with the Ministry of Health during disasters and emergencies.
Resources will include mobile field hospitals, mobile health containers, hospital ships, ambulance aircraft, medical evacuation vehicles for land, air and sea operations, and health personnel.
The Ministry of National Defense also established a Disaster and Emergency Management Department and was designated as a Support Solution Partner in 12 of the 25 Disaster Working Groups created under Türkiye's Disaster Response Plan (TAMP).
The ministry conducts disaster and emergency activities in coordination with Main Solution Partners within the designated Disaster Working Groups.
According to the report, approximately 92% of Türkiye lies within the Alpine-Himalayan earthquake belt, which extends from the Azores Islands to Southeast Asia.
Recent earthquakes, particularly successive tremors in Balikesir, have drawn attention to the possibility of an earthquake affecting Istanbul and surrounding provinces.
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