Okes Elmasoglou is constantly giving interviews on TV these days. He talks to Euronews, German, American and British channels and explains how he managed a miracle. Let many of the buildings in the city of Erzin, where he is mayor, remain standing. Because he did his job right. Before the earthquake, he was mocked by some of the residents, but he was not deterred. He did not issue any building permits illegally. Thus, the city located in the heart of the area where Enceladus hit, 15 kilometers from the city of Osmaniya and 110 from Hatay, did not mourn the dead, nor did it have any injuries.

“Murder has been committed”

“I did not allow illegal constructions and building activities,” he says. “Sometimes people got annoyed with me and jokingly asked me if I wanted to be the only decent one in the country. But that way I have a clear conscience. I did not allow any illegal construction.” Illegal constructions abound in Turkey and construction companies violate the laws at the risk of criminal prosecution. But before the elections, the so-called building amnesty was given, as Egip Mouchsu says, by the Federation of Engineers and Architects. He speaks in front of the ruins of a house in Antiyaman.

“As we learned, this building here was a four-story building, that is, 4 floors were designed and the static plans were also corresponding. But then the builders, relying on politically motivated building amnesties, illegally added 3 more floors. In other words, murder was committed.” But this alone does not explain such destruction.

In some places the subsoil is very soft and giving way. The way the building was built also matters. In Antioch, a woman says she and her neighbors searched through the rubble of their homes for steel beams, which are required by earthquake regulations. They didn’t find a single one.

“I was pressured”

Sometimes the wrong material was used, explains the engineer Mukhsu, underlining that in the construction of this building smooth iron bars were used, while according to the current building regulations they must be grooved, because that way “they grip the concrete better and make the columns more durable” . Illegal constructions, saving money on wrong choices and poor craftsmanship also happened in Erzin, as mayor Elmasoglou says. But not without holding them accountable. Many times some have tried to convince the authorities to turn a blind eye. However, he himself remained steadfast in his positions, even when he was attacked for it.

“They all sided with me, they complained to me that they didn’t have the money to get a building permit. I was telling them how sorry I was, but a lot of people in town got angry about it.” But now they thank him that no one was hurt. Of course, checks will be made even on the standing buildings, as well as on the entire area, which is prone to earthquakes. Perhaps, as the mayor says, the crews will have more work. There must be security before the city buildings are inhabited again.