İBB Acting Mayor Aslan warned Istanbul residents under the orange alert: Do not leave your homes unless absolutely necessary. The message was clear. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Acting Mayor Nuri Aslan announced that the city had moved to orange alert level due to the heavy rainfall expected. Speaking at the Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM), Aslan said that in the rainfall that began on Tuesday night and intensified on Wednesday, 273 kilograms of rain per square meter fell in some areas. Aslan noted that flooding occurred across the city, particularly in Ayazağa and the Cendere Valley. There were fatalities. Search efforts for 3 people are ongoing.
Work on the ground continues. Aslan noted that the İBB was on the ground with approximately 8 thousand 500 personnel and 2 thousand 400 vehicles and heavy machinery. Aslan stated that AFAD and the gendarmerie were also taking part in the efforts. He reported that, with the participation of Coastal Safety and the Coast Guard, approximately 50 thousand personnel were serving in the fight against the disaster.
Aslan’s call was clear. Warning that the rainfall could intensify in the evening hours and strengthen toward noon tomorrow, Aslan asked residents not to go out unless absolutely necessary from this evening until midnight tomorrow. He said that if they did have to go out, they should prefer public transportation over private vehicles.
The measures will be reviewed again. Stating that Istanbul had experienced rainfall not seen in over 80 years, Aslan brought up the climate crisis and reported that they would review the measures together with the relevant institutions.
Why it matters
The orange alert in Istanbul is a decision that directly concerns the daily mobility of the millions of people living in the city; the fact that the call remains in effect until midnight tomorrow indicates that disruptions may occur in work, school, and transportation schedules. The recommendation to use public transportation instead of private vehicles shows that the risk of water pooling on the roads is seen as serious enough to bring traffic to a standstill. The rainfall reaching a level not seen in over 80 years once again raises the question of how prepared the city’s infrastructure is in the face of events of this scale. The concentration of flooding in valley floors such as Ayazağa and Cendere Vadisi lays bare the vulnerability of settlements in these areas to heavy rainfall. It is significant that the climate crisis was directly cited by the municipal administration and that a review of the measures was announced; however, what concrete steps this review will translate into remains an open question for now.
Background
İBB is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 17 stories mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated October 9, 2026.