İstanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness Project (ISMEP) In order to prepare İstanbul for a probable earthquake the Republic of Turkey and the International Bank for Reconstructıon and Development signed the İstanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness (ISMEP) Loan Agreement with an amount of €310 Million on October 18, 2005. The loan agreement became effective as of February 3, 2006. Istanbul Project Coordination Unit (IPCU) was established within the İstanbul Special Provincial Administration (ISPA) for the implementation and supervision of the overall Project. The project aims to enhance the institutional and technical capacity of the emergency management related institutions; raise public awareness in emergency preparedness and response, feasibility studies of the priority public buildings against seismic risks and as to assessment reports the retrofitting or reconstruction of these buildings; support to the national disaster activities; inventory of cultural heritage buildings, carry out seismic risk assessment of selected cultural heritage buildings, prepare retrofitting project designs; and to take supportive measures for effective building code enforcement to prepare İstanbul for a potential earthquake.