PROACTIVE CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN CASES OF EARTHQUAKE: A CASE STUDY OF BURDUR

Keywords: Earthquake, Proactive Crisis Management. ABSTRACT Earthquake is of the natural disasters that cause great destruction and loss of life in places where they occur. Turkey, a large deal of whose territory stretches on first-degree earthquake zone and on which a large number of earthquakes occurred in the past, is an earthquake country. May 17, 1999 Marmara Earthquake, which was felt in large part of the country in recent past, is the most painful experience. Unpredictable and unavoidable impacts of earthquakes urge all actors of crisis management to think strategically and make effective decisions. Crisis management is composed of a four-step process including pre-earthquake preparedness, first responders, recovery and reorganization. Reducing the loss of life and property depends on the pre-planning of an earthquake and making all necessary preparations. Considering all kinds of possibilities, planning and organization are carried out in this process which is described as proactive crisis management. Burdur, stretching on first-degree earthquake zone and having experienced great destructions in the past, is one of the provinces which must be constantly prepared to earthquakes. Different-scale-earthquakes in 1842, 1876, 1901, 1914, 1925, 1930, 1963, and 1971 are known to have occurred in the triangle of Burdur, Isparta and Dinar. The objective of this study is to examine the different aspects of earthquake preparation of general and local government agencies in Burdur. In this paper, it is aimed to scan the literature regarding the study and to conduct direct talks with senior administrators responsible for managing the earthquake crisis in the city