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Enhancing employee and community development Ipragaz, Turkey 4/15/2021

Responding to natural disasters in Turkey

Earthquake in Turkey
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Elazığ in eastern Turkey in January 2020, collapsing buildings and causing chaos. More than 1,400 people were injured and 41 sadly lost their lives.

Providing food, warm and safety

Access to LPG became critical, as survivors needed to keep warm and cook in the aftermath. Ipragaz worked in the disaster area to support survivors, providing hundreds of pieces of cooking equipment, cylinders and heaters, as well as warm winter clothes which were vital in the plunging temperatures. It worked closely with local disaster response agencies AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) and Turkish Red Crescent to ensure its support could have the biggest impact.

In addition, Ipragaz provided fire safety training for survivors staying in temporary tent communities. Safety remains paramount even in an emergency situation, so this training focused on ensuring survivors using cylinders to keep warm could use them without incident or risk.

Remarkable support

Then, in November 2020, a serious earthquake struck another region, İzmir, injuring over 1,000 people and taking the lives of 100. Ipragaz stepped up once again to provide cylinders, heating and cooking equipment and safety training, with Ipragaz’s own Safety Training Manager conducting the lessons.

Tarkan Oğuz Yaşaroğlu, Public and Corporate Communications Manager at Ipragaz, reflects on what was a challenging year for many. “I am proud of the remarkable support Ipragaz provided to earthquake survivors in disaster areas,” he says.