Disaster Awareness Strengthened with the “I Am Ready for an Earthquake!” Symposium

At the symposium organized by the Scenario-Based Occupational Health and Safety Club, earthquake awareness, disaster preparedness, and early warning technologies were addressed with the participation of experts.

The “I Am Ready for an Earthquake!” event, organized by the Üsküdar University Scenario-Based Occupational Health and Safety Club, was held on March 25–26, 2026, at the Emir Nebi 2 Conference Hall at Çarşı Campus. Aimed at raising earthquake awareness, the event comprehensively addressed pre-disaster preparedness, correct behaviors, and the importance of acting safely during a disaster.

Throughout the two-day program, expert academics and industry representatives met with participants. As part of the event, Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış, AFAD Provincial Communications Officer Özgür Özaltun, Ali Emre Erişen, and Hasan Çelebi gave presentations on earthquake awareness, disaster communications, early warning systems, and smart technologies.

During the event, participants did more than gain theoretical knowledge; they also learned about current technologies used in disaster management processes. The insights shared on early warning systems, communication infrastructure, and coordination processes in times of crisis were followed with particular interest by the students.

The interactive earthquake quiz held as part of the program was one of the highlights of the event. The quiz gave participants the opportunity to reinforce what they had learned and to take an active part in the event. Following the evaluations at the end of the quiz, various prizes and awards were presented to participants.

On the second day of the event, an earthquake simulator session was held at the AFAD Yeşilköy Directorate. Participants experienced a realistic earthquake through the simulator and had the opportunity to learn, through hands-on practice, the correct behaviors to follow during a disaster. In this way, the event offered a holistic learning process that supported theoretical knowledge with practical experience.

Throughout the event, attended by approximately 100 students, students had the opportunity to consider that disaster awareness is of great importance not only individually but also for society as a whole. Participants stated that expanding similar awareness efforts would make an important contribution to building a disaster-ready society.

The “I Am Ready for an Earthquake!” event, held by the Scenario-Based Occupational Health and Safety Club, was one of the important events that helped students build disaster awareness, stood out for its hands-on training, and raised public awareness.