A Project Ensuring Uninterrupted Communication During Disasters Is Being Implemented in Sakarya

The project titled “Connect by Radio, Choose Disaster Preparedness,” developed through cooperation between the Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality’s Department of Strategy Development and the Sakarya Radio and Amateur Radio Operators Electronic Communications Technologies Association (SAKRAD), is being implemented step by step.

The project will be activated in the event of a major earthquake that could cause significant destruction within the borders of Sakarya, or during any type of disaster such as fires, landslides, or floods, when GSM communication fails or internet access is cut off. To reach citizens trapped in disaster zones or under debris as quickly as possible, emergency communication between districts, neighborhoods, and even streets will be provided via radio systems.

In the final phase of the project, a volunteer capacity-building forum was organized for representatives of NGOs, which are among the city’s most comprehensive institutions.The program was attended by Head of the Department of Strategy Development Veysel Çıplak, SAKRAD President Gürel Özbakış, President of the Sakarya Mukhtars Federation Erdal Erdem, as well as representatives from AFAD, the Turkish Red Crescent, district municipalities, provincial institutions, metropolitan municipality department heads, and search and rescue NGOs.

Veysel Çıplak, Head of Strategy Development Department of Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality

Volunteer NGO and Volunteer Radio Operator Ecosystem

Providing information about the project, Head of the Department of Strategy Development Veysel Çıplak stated:

“The main purpose of this event is to address the volunteer structures of civil society organizations involved in disaster processes, their roles in disaster areas, the functions they undertake—including communication—the challenges they face, and their expectations; to determine the needs of volunteers through a holistic approach; to create a framework for the future ‘Disaster Volunteering Guide’ and the ‘Volunteer Guide for Radio Communication in Disasters’; and to develop a coordinated draft of a Volunteer NGO and Volunteer Radio Operator Ecosystem.”

SAKRAD President, Gürel Özbakış

Phones Make Life Easier, Radios Save Lives

SAKRAD President Gürel Özbakış said:

“Ensuring communication against damage to infrastructure during disasters and emergencies is among the primary objectives of our association. As you know, our city is located on an earthquake fault line. During the 1999 earthquake, the importance of communication in times of disaster once again became evident. Therefore, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to such a special project. Let us not forget: ‘Phones make life easier, radios save lives.’”

Erdal Erdem, President of the Sakarya Village Headmen Federation

There Is No Crisis Management Without Communication

President of the Sakarya Mukhtars Federation Erdal Erdem also stated:

“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this wonderful project, especially our Metropolitan Municipality. There is a well-known saying: without communication, there is no combat. In other words, managing crises is extremely difficult without effective communication. In this sense, this project is highly valuable for our city and its future. As mukhtars, we fully support the project.”