evidence: The earthquakes that struck Turkey on February 6, 2023, had revealed significant shortcomings in the government's response, contributing to the enormous loss of life. The three key failures included a lack of flexibility in planning, a lack of coordination, and an initial politicized response. These glaring inadequacies highlight the importance of scrutinizing the reaction to such crises, as it is critical to ensuring that they do not occur again. [...] Turkey's current presidential governance model is highly centralized, posing challenges for organizations on the ground to respond with the necessary flexibility. Although centralized systems are commonly lauded for their capacity to streamline decision-making and emergency response, the recent earthquake in Turkey has exposed their limitations. The rigidity of centralization has hindered the decision-making process, and local actors have faced intense criticism for their slow response.