International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 3 No. 22 [Special Issue – November 2012] 42 Lessons Learnt From Van and Erciş Earthquakes 2011, Turkey: An Evaluation of Disaster Management Ass. Prof. Dr. Menaf Turan Department of Public Administration Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences Yuzuncu Yil University Van / Turkey Abstract In Turkey, where high amount of residential areas are at risk of earthquake, disaster risks are needed to be considered while preparing the development of plans. Unfortunately, the scenes after every natural disaster show that this fact had not been included in the planning process. A significant part of the problems encountered in the interventions during and immediately after the earthquake arises from this negligence and disaster management process are affected negatively. After two earthquakes with both lives and economical losses occurred in the region of Ercis and Van in October 23 and November 9, 2011, one of the questions which was sought to find an answer was that “in what extent does the layout of urban reconstruction and planning affect the disaster management?” Therefore, the susceptibility of the plans to the disaster are needed to be considered in the preparation of the reconstruction plans. This subject is classified as disaster sensitive planning or conservation planning in planning literature. For the disaster management process to be effective with all phases, planning at each stage and planning is needed to be associated with the disaster management. In this article, the relationship between disaster management and urban planning are questioned in the case of Ercis and Van earthquakes. Key Words: Disaster management, urban planning, Van and Erciş earthquakes, post disaster temporary housing, housing policy Introduction The city of Van which is in the lower ranks in socio-economic development was about to get out of the clutches of underdevelopment that Van had been carrying for many years by the investments made and put in the project in recent years, but it was shaken by October 23 and November 9, 2011 earthquakes. Definitely earthquake reality showed the presence of a serious risk in terms of the investment that will be done. At the same time, it has also become a precursor of a number of opportunities for restructuring in crisis situations. One of the most important works need to be done is to consider zoning and planning which are one of the dimensions of the restructuring process in a way to shape the future of Van. The reconstruction process involves being permanent as well as being painful. In this study, zoning and planning order one of the dimensions of reconstruction process will be evaluated together with the disaster management. Van and Ercis which have suffered a big destruction as well as life losses by shaking with two major earthquakes are needed to be evaluated as the display of zoning and planning fundamental problem for the places with and without earthquake experience, in other words irregular urbanization. The reasons of turning an earthquake which is a natural event but “lost its naturalness” (Keleş, 2012:606) to a disaster are needed to be investigated from irregular zoning and planning configurations. This is entirely related to the measures need to be taken before the earthquake. It would be wrong to evaluate what have been done and what couldn’t have been done during and after an earthquake without doing the necessary things that is needed to be finished before the earthquake. In the literature, these subjects are explained with disaster management concept requiring interdisciplinary collaboration. In this context, disaster management is needed to be evaluated together with the steps both before and after the disaster.