all along the eastern shore

An earthquake erupted off-shore Japan today. Watching the footage of the resultant tidal waves flushing through Japanese land serves as a reminder that despite what we build on the land, what we create in laboratories, and what endlessly-economically funded innovations we create, there is little we can do in the way of protecting against natural disasters.

This type of scenario is even more impactful living in Istanbul. It's no secret that the bi-continental city lies on insecure lands. In addition to straddling "one of the most active seismic fault lines on the globe," Istanbul as a city has much less wealth per-capita than similarly imperiled areas like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or much of Japan. Further, because of the massive (est. 15 million) and growing population in the city, construction is largely unregulated and the number of homeless people continues to grow. What's more, many of the aged buildings in the city (some dating back to the 15th Century) haven't been supplemented with any earthquake resiliency materials.

As I walk through my neighborhood, I sense the importance of taking in the city as much as possible. There is never a guarantee when it comes to natural disasters. A city or region can create risk-assessment and management plans, but no amount of planning can prevent the devastation that comes with such powerful destruction.

Istanbul, I love you today, and hope that if you can't fully withstand Mother Nature, you can showcase and subsequently increase your resiliency. Maşallah...

For further reading on Istanbul's impending earthquake:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/dec/09/turkey.naturaldisasters