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The relevance of flood hazards and impacts in Turkey: What can be learned from different disaster loss databases?

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Abstract

Turkey has been severely affected by many natural hazards, in particular earthquakes and floods. Especially over the last two decades, these natural hazards have caused enormous human and economic damage. Although there is a large body of literature on earthquake hazards and risks in Turkey, comparatively little is known about flood hazards and risks. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the severity of flooding in comparison with other natural hazards in Turkey and to analyse the flood patterns by providing an overview of the temporal and spatial distribution of flood losses. These will act as a metric for the societal and economic impacts of flood hazards in Turkey. For this purpose, Turkey Disaster Database (TABB) was used for the years 1960–2014. As input for more detailed event analyses, the most severe flood events in Turkey for the same time interval will also be retrieved. Sufficiency of the TABB database to achieve the main aim of the study in terms of data quality and accuracy was also discussed. The TABB database was analysed and reviewed through comparison, mainly with the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), the Global Active Archive of Large Flood Events—Dartmouth Flood Observatory database, news archives and the scientific literature, with a focus on listing the most severe flood event. The comparative review of these data sources reveals big mismatches in the flood data, i.e. the reported number of events, number of affected people and economic loss all differ dramatically. Owing to the fact that the TABB is the only disaster loss database for Turkey, it is important to explore the reasons for the mismatches between TABB and the other sources with regard to aspects of accuracy and data quality. Therefore, biases and fallacies in the TABB loss data are also discussed. The comparative TABB database analyses show that large mismatches between global and national databases can occur. Current global and national databases for monitoring losses from national hazards suffer from a number of limitations, which in turn could lead to misinterpretations of the loss data. Since loss data collection is gaining more and more attention, e.g. in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, this study offers a framework for developing guidelines for the Turkey Disaster Database (TABB), implications on how to standardize national loss databases and implement across the other hazard events in Turkey.

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(Adapted from IRDR 2014)

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Notes

  1. In the TABB database, one famine event is also listed. But, since there is no detailed information in the explanations as to the reason (anthropogenic, e.g., war, or natural, e.g. extreme temperature, drought) of the famine, this event was not included in the classification.

References

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Acknowledgements

This study was undertaken as part of the “ITN - ALErT: Anatolian pLateau climatE and Tectonic hazards” Project, funded within the European Union (EU) Marie Curie Actions programme “Initial Training Networks (ITN)” under grant agreement FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN (no. 607996).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany

    Gamze Koç & Annegret H. Thieken

Authors
  1. Gamze Koç
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  2. Annegret H. Thieken
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gamze Koç.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Turkey Disaster Database (TABB) loss parameters

 

Damage indicators

Sub-classes

1.

Effected areas

 

2.

Total deaths

Deaths (child 0–18)

Deaths (adult + 18)

Deaths (female)

Deaths (male)

3.

Total injured

Injured (child 0–18)

Injured (adult + 18)

Injured (female)

Injured (male)

4.

Total missing

 

5.

Number of destroyed buildings

Destroyed public buildings

Destroyed residential buildings

Destroyed workplace buildings

6.

Number of damaged buildings

Non-damaged public buildings

Lightly damaged public buildings

Moderately damaged public buildings

Heavily damaged public buildings

Non-damaged residential buildings

Lightly damaged residential buildings

Moderately damaged residential buildings

Heavily damaged residential buildings

Non-damaged workplace buildings

Lightly damaged workplace buildings

Moderately damaged workplace buildings

Heavily damaged workplace buildings

7.

Affected

 

8.

Evacuated

 

9.

Total damage

Total damage ($)

Total damage (TL)

10.

Destroyed agricultural area (Ha)

 

11.

Cattle loss

 

Appendix 2

Most severe flood events in Turkey

Flood events

EM-DAT

Dartmouth

Ref. Nr.

Date (month/year)

Location

Fatalities

Affected

Total damage ($)

Fatalities

Affected

Total damage ($)

1

12/1968

Mersin (Icel), Adana (Mediterranean)

147

0

0

–

–

–

2

03/1980

Kayseri (Central Anatolia)

75

60,000

15,000,000

–

–

–

3

11/1995

Izmir, Antalya, Isparta (Western Mediterranean, Western Aegean)

63

306,617

50,000,000

62

–

–

4

08/1998

Trabzon, Rize (Eastern Black Sea)

60

1000

0

50

–

–

5

06/1990

Giresun, Gumushane, Trabzon (Eastern Black Sea)

51

4500

150,000,000

48

–

150,000,000

6

10-11/2006

Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Sirnak, Batman (Southeastern Anatolia)

47

63,015

317,000,000

46

–

310,652,731

7

05/1991

Diyarbakir, Malatya, Adiyaman, Elazig, Bingol, Mus (Eastern Anatolia)

42

500

25,000,000

42

–

25,000,000

8

09/2009

Istanbul, Tekirdag (Marmara)

40

35,020

550,000,000

31

–

–

9

07/2002

Rize (Eastern Black Sea), Corum and Yozgat (Central Anatolia), Kars and Mus (Eastern Anatolia)

34

3000

0

34

–

–

10a

11/1974

Sirnak (Southeastern Anatolia)

33

0

0

–

–

–

11

06/1998

Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Agri, Erzincan, Ardahan, Erzurum (Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia)

22

0

0

9

–

–

12a

02/1990

Kahramanmaras Bingol Gaziantep

18

0

0

18

–

–

13

03/2004

Erzurum, Batman, Bitlis, Mus, Konya, Silifke (Southeastern Anatolia)

15

50,000

0

8

–

–

14a

06/1988

Ankara (Central Anatolia)

13

1500

0

16

–

–

15

05/2007

Agri, Van, Bitlis, Gaziantep (Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia)

13

750

0

13

–

0

16

07/2012

Samsun (Black Sea)

13

0

0

–

–

–

17

07/2006

Bitlis, Mus (Eastern Anatolia), Kirklareli (Marmara), Trabzon, Rize, Samsun, Giresun(Black Sea)

12

0

0

9

–

0

18a

12/1981

Samsun (Black Sea)

10

0

0

–

–

–

19

05/1998

Zonguldak, Karabuk, Bartin, Sakarya (Western Black Sea)

10

1,240,047

1,000,000,000

19

–

2,000,000,000

20

06/2002

Giresun (Black Sea)

–

–

–

–

–

–

21

07/1995

Isparta—Senirkent (Western Mediterranean)

–

–

–

–

–

–

22

12/1997

Antalya (Mediterranean)

–

–

–

–

–

–

23

07/2009

Giresun (Black Sea)

–

–

–

–b

–b

–b

24

05/2000

Samsun, Tokat, Amasya (Black Sea)

2

1000

40,000,000

2

–

40,000,000

25

12/2003

Antalya (Mediterranean)

8

0

0

6

–

–

Flood events

TABB

Literature

Ref. Nr.

Date (month/year)

Location

Fatalities

Affected

Total damage ($)

Fatalities

Affected

Total damage ($)

Related references

1

12/1968

Mersin (Icel), Adana (Mediterranean)

0

0

0

–

–

–

–

2

03/1980

Kayseri (Central Anatolia)

0

0

0.084c

–

–

–

–

3

11/1995

Izmir, Antalya, Isparta (Western Mediterranean, Western Aegean)

61

0

0

61

–

50,000,000

Kömüşcü and Çelik (2013), Ceylan et al. (2007), Avsar (2014)

   

67

–

30,000,000

Gürer (1998)

   

63

300,000

1,000,000,000

Ergünay (2007)

   

61

–

–

Koçman and Kayan (1996)

   

63

–

–

Sezer (1997)

   

61

–

–

Mutluer and Isik (2000)

   

61

–

–

Zeybek (1998)

   

63

–

–

Altundal (2010)

   

61

–

50,000,000

Kadioglu (2012)

4

08/1998

Trabzon, Rize (Eastern Black Sea)

91

0

20.74c

50

–

44,479,204

Yüksek et al. (2013)

   

10

–

–

Ceylan et al. (2007)

   

43

–

–

Gürgen (2004), Yurt (2012)

   

47

–

–

Sahin (2002)

   

50

–

60,348,111

T.C. Çevre ve Orman Bakanliği (2008)

   

60

1000

–

AFAD (2011), Altundal (2010)

5

06/1990

Giresun, Gumushane, Trabzon (Eastern Black Sea)

51

0

0

57

–

347,863,008

Yüksek et al. (2013)

   

57

–

–

Gürgen (2004)

   

57

–

471,970,575

T.C. Çevre ve Orman Bakanliği (2008), Avci and Sunkar (2015)

6

10-11/2006

Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Sirnak, Batman (Southeastern Anatolia)

41

0

4845,297

39

–

300,000,000

Gürer and Uçar (2009)

   

10

–

20,765,557

Tonbul and Sunkar (2011)e

   

46

–

–

Şahinalp (2007)

   

44

–

–

Türkoğlu (2009)

7

05/1991

Diyarbakir, Malatya, Adiyaman, Elazig, Bingol, Mus (Eastern Anatolia)

38

157

0

–

–

–

–

8

09/2009

Istanbul, Tekirdag (Marmara)

31

0

0

32

35,000

80,000,000

Kömüşcü and Çelik (2013)

   

31

–

–

Turoglu (2011)

   

32

–

–

Kömüşcü et al. (2011)

9

07/2002

Rize (Eastern Black Sea), Corum and Yozgat (Central Anatolia), Kars and Mus (Eastern Anatolia)

33

0

16.77c

27

–

11,363,317

Yüksek et al. (2013)

   

40

–

20,000,000

Ceylan et al. (2007)

   

27

–

7,789,000

Gürer and Uçar (2009)

   

27

–

17,881,127

T.C. Çevre ve Orman Bakanliği (2008)

   

27

–

8,382,691

Reis et al. (2007)d

10a

11/1974

Sirnak (Southeastern Anatolia)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

11

06/1998

Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Agri, Erzincan, Ardahan, Erzurum (Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia)

18

0

0.16c

8

–

–

Ceylan et al. (2007)

12a

02/1990

Kahramanmaras Bingol Gaziantep

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

13

03/2004

Erzurum, Batman, Bitlis, Mus, Konya, Silifke (Southeastern Anatolia)

4

132,983

0

–

4868

–

Turk Kizilayi (2004)

   

–

–

6,157,667

Buldur et al. (2007)

14a

06/1988

Ankara (Central Anatolia)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

15

05/2007

Agri, Van, Bitlis, Gaziantep (Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia)

3

0

0

8

–

–

AKOM (2007)

16

07/2012

Samsun (Black Sea)

9

0

0

12

–

–

Bahadir (2014)

17

07/2006

Bitlis, Mus (Eastern Anatolia), Kirklareli (Marmara), Trabzon, Rize, Samsun, Giresun(Black Sea)

3

1520

62,761,245

–

–

–

–

18a

12/1981

Samsun (Black Sea)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

19

05/1998

Zonguldak, Karabuk, Bartin, Sakarya (Western Black Sea)

5

43,547

62.92c

20

–

> 150,000,000

Kömüşcü and Çelik (2013)

   

27

–

2,000,000,000

Ceylan et al. (2007)

   

10

1,200,000

1,000,000,000

Ergünay (2007)

   

17

–

1,349,125

Zeybek (1998)

   

–

–

235,000,000

Altundal (2010)

   

–

2,200,000

–

Kadioglu (2012)

20

06/2002

Giresun (Black Sea)

0

0

13,432,263

–

–

16,138,949

Avci and Sunkar (2015), AFAD (2011)

   

–

–

3,837,789

Aksoy and Coskun (2010)

21

07/1995

Isparta—Senirkent (Western Mediterranean)

74

0

0

74

–

–

Özden (2004), Zeybek (1998), Ertek (1995)

   

10

10,000

65,000,000

Altundal (2010)

   

70

–

30,000,000

Ceylan et al. (2007)

22

12/1997

Antalya (Mediterranean)

0

0

177,00c

–

–

–

–

23

07/2009

Giresun (Black Sea)

0

0

0

1

–

97,885,798

Avci and Sunkar (2015)

   

1

–

9,869,720

Onsoy (2011)

24

05/2000

Samsun, Tokat, Amasya (Black Sea)

2

0

11.27c

2

–

–

Ceylan et al. (2007)

25

12/2003

Antalya (Mediterranean)

5

0

22.47c

5

–

22,173,458

Bianet (2003)

  1. aOnly in EM-DAT and/or Darthmouth database
  2. bThis event is also in the Darthmouth database, but no information is given regarding fatalities, affected people or economic loss
  3. cEconomic losses before 2005 were checked and the mistakes due to monetary value changes have been corrected. For economic loss data, the corrected values and today’s rate calculations were considered
  4. dThis information is only for Rize Province
  5. eThis information is only for Batman Province

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Koç, G., Thieken, A.H. The relevance of flood hazards and impacts in Turkey: What can be learned from different disaster loss databases?. Nat Hazards 91, 375–408 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-3134-6

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