REDACt: The European project coordinating rapid earthquake response in the Black Sea

More than 1,200 faults or fractures have been found in the Earth's crust across Europe, according to the EFEHR, an NGO monitoring earthquake risk across the continent. These faults cover some 90,000 km and cross national borders.

The Earth's surface is made up of tectonic plates which constantly move due to the currents pushing the magma flowing underneath. An earthquake is triggered along a fault when these plates part or slide into each other.

While it is impossible to stop oceanic and continental plates from moving, disaster prevention and mitigation strategies can save lives and prevent damage to critical infrastructure. 

The Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment Consortium (REDACt), is a cross-border European initiative designed to improve immediate response to earthquake-related phenomena in the Black Sea Basin Region.

Euronews Correspondent Aurora Velez met with the experts behind the project for Smart Regions.

Turkey, Greece, Moldova and Romania have partnered with REDACt to improve cross-border cooperation. Emmanouil Kirtas, the Vice-Coordinator of REDACt and associate professor at the International Hellenic University in Greece (IHU), told Euronews that each of these countries uses the same methodology when monitoring tremours: "After, 10 or 15 minutes, REDACt can provide its first estimations which we then pass on to the authorities," explained Kirtas.

Two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6 struck Turkey and Syria on the 6 February 2023. In Turkey alone, tens of thousands of people died and more than one million people were left homeless. Experts pointed to construction negligence and the lack of earthquake-resistant buildings while those living in affected areas criticised the government for not responding