Back in 1999 there were several highly destructive earthquakes in Turkey. Like in Haiti, much of the death and destruction was associated with poorly constructed buildings. And government officials reportedly agreed that strict building codes would be enforced in the future.

News reports presently being circulated are stating that those building codes are now being ignored. And new structures are being built without the necessary care such with the use of adequate steel reinforcement bars and high quality cement. Apparently, some things never change.

This supports the argument that I myself and probably many others have made over the years. It is essential to improve building construction to avoid damage and fatalities etc. However, in the real world, for a variety of reasons, and for the foreseeable future, it will continue to be necessary for us to develop the ability to accurately forecast earthquakes in order to get people out of their way.