After the great earthquake that occurred in Erzincan with a magnitude of M=6.8 on 13.03.1992 and caused the death of 653 people and the destruction of 6700 buildings, a group of scientists from the ITU Faculty of Civil Engineering and Mines decided to establish the Turkish Earthquake Foundation in order to minimize the loss of life and property that our country and our people will suffer from the earthquake. Esteemed faculty members of ITU, METU, and BU, who have worked together especially after the great Erzincan earthquake of 1939 and have achieved success in our country and abroad until these days, established an organizations called the Turkish Earthquake Foundation which has the status of a foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement by gathering experts in earthquake engineering in the country.

The Founders Committee;

Prof. Dr. Rifat YARAR (deceased)

Prof. Dr. Semih S. TEZCAN

Prof. Dr. Kazım ERGİN (deceased)

Prof. Dr. Kemal KAFALI (deceased)

Yük. Müh. Selahattin UZEL (deceased)

Prof. Dr. Güven ÖNAL

Prof. Dr. Remzi ÜLKER (deceased)

Prof. Dr. M. Hasan BODUROĞLU (deceased)

The founders worked as a group and prepared the deed of foundation at the end of three meetings. The Deed of the foundation was duly registered with the decision of Kadıköy 6th Civil Court of First Instance dated 26.02.1993 and numbered 1993/95 and was published in the Official Journal dated April 15, 1993, and numbered 21553, as approved by the General Directorate of Foundations. Mr. Eng. Necdet SEÇKİNÖZ, who was the Secretary-General of the Presidency at that time, provided great assistance in the rapid establishment of our foundation.