## 4 Impact of the 6 February 2023 Earthquakes on Structures and Earthquake Debris
### Earthquake Debris Composition and Volume
If we consider the larger values estimated by [PERSON] et al. [53], then the debris volume in East Anatolia is by far the largest that has been caused by a natural disaster for the time period considered (Figure 2). If we take into account the smaller values, as estimated by the UNDP [52], the volume of debris is again among the two largest produced after an earthquake for the aforementioned time period. In this case, the debris volume produced by the 2023 Turkey earthquakes holds second place after the 380 million tonnes of debris generated by the 12 May 2008, Mw = 7.9 Sichuan (China) earthquake [4] (Table 2; Figure 2). It is important to mention that most of the devastating earthquakes generated worldwide during the last 25 years have caused debris volumes that do not exceed 60 million tonnes (Table 2; Figure 2). An example of an earthquake in the same country and with almost similar magnitude, which can be used for comparison, is the 17 August 1999, Mw = 7.6 Izmit earthquake generated in the western part of the North Anatolian Fault. This event produced a much smaller debris volume, about 13 million tonnes [5]. The presented information may also prove to be a useful tool for the agencies involved in disaster prevention and management, with which they can easily estimate an average amount of debris generated based solely on demographic data, both at the pre-disaster phase during implementing the emergency and earthquake disaster impact management plans, and at the post-disaster phase during the preparation and implementation of emergency response and recovery actions. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Date** & **Earthquake** & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Affected** \\ **Country** \\ \end{tabular} & **M** & **I** & **DV** &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Source** \\ **for DV** \\ \end{tabular} & **HL** & **IP** & **TA** \\ \hline
20 May 2012 & Emilia— & Italy & 6.1 & VIII 0.61 & 17 & 50 & 11,050 \\
29 May 2012 & Romagna & Italy & 5.8 & VIII & 0.61 & 17 & 350 & 14,350 \\
25 April 2015 & Gorkha & Nepal & 7.8 & X & 14 & [3] & 8831 & 17,932 & 5,639,722 \\
14 April 2016 & Kumamoto & Japan & 6.2 & IX & 3.16 & [57] & 9 & 800 & 120,800 \\
6 February 2023 & Turkey-Syria & Turkey & 7.8 & XII & 116-210 & [52] & 50,399 & 107,204 & 2,500,000 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* only in Indonesia, ** in million cubic meters.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: _Cont._  
Figure 2: Debris volumes (in million tonnes) generated by earthquakes worldwide from 1994 to 2023 against the total affected people based on the data presented in Table 2. The maximum estimated volume is taken into account for each seismic event. The diagram contains data from 1994 to 2023 including the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes based on [PERSON] et al. [53] and UNDP [52]. As far as the composition of earthquake debris, [PERSON] et al. [53] considered reinforced concrete and masonry buildings as the prevailing building types in the earthquake-affected area and they studied major construction materials for the prevailing structures before the earthquake for the prevailing types of structures. They concluded that the waste bricks and concrete are the main components of the demolition waste produced by the 6 February 2023 earthquakes with percentages of 59.0% and 28.6% respectively in the overall composition of debris, with timber (5.9%), roofing tiles (2.6%), plastics (2.0%), metal (1.3%), glass (0.3%), and other materials (0.2%) following [53]. Taking into account these numbers, we realize the magnitude, intensity, and extent of the earthquake disaster in Turkey and worldwide and understand that one of the biggest challenges during the recovery period is the proper and efficient removal, treatment, and disposal of debris in a way that does not create new hazards and threats to the health of all involved in debris management including volunteers and the local population and to the balance of the natural environment.