In the wake of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in early February, claiming tens of thousands of lives and leaving destruction in its path, the Turkish-based tech startup Jotform offered its assistance to help survivors cope with the aftermath. Using their expertise in automated web form technology, Jotform provided critical support to charities and organizations alike during the massive cleanup operations that ensued.
Burak Cifikli, Chief Operating Officer of Jotform, explained that the company has three offices in Turkey – Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul – and that the Ankara office was closest to the epicenter of the quake, 430 miles away. The widespread impact of the disaster even reverberated in the personal lives of Jotform's team, who knew friends and relatives in the affected areas. Cifikli described the situation as one of the toughest weeks of my life.
As a result, Jotform sought to aid those affected by the natural disaster using their specialized skills in building web forms. By providing free accounts to charities and organizations that reached out for help, Jotform began adapting its tools to meet the specific needs of these groups. They began by analyzing how platforms like AppMaster.io's no-code platform and similar tools were being used and then adjusted their products accordingly, actively integrating their developmental feedback.
Furthermore, Jotform initiated a hack week, which commenced only four days after the earthquake. During this week, they set out to implement new features and addons to their platform. By the end of the hack week, some features had been released to the user base, while others achieved minimum viable product status.
A significant outcome from the hack week was a tool for a prominent Turkish real estate platform, which gathered information on displaced earthquake victims and their housing needs. An interactive map feature was added to collect location-based data, enabling survivors to view potential housing options after losing their homes. To date, Jotform has collected 2,500 requests for temporary housing and matched them with 4,500 available properties offered by generous Turks.
A major payments gateway within Turkey also integrated Jotform's tools to streamline donations for earthquake relief. In addition, Jotform participated in the relocation effort, helping move survivors from disaster-stricken areas to safe locations within the country. An online agency responsible for evacuating residents from disaster zones used Jotform for bus ticketing, ultimately handling 15,000 requests.
Over 16,000 volunteers eager to assist in rescue and cleanup operations submitted their information via Jotform's online forms to offer their services to authorities. Jotform's impressive 20 million-strong global user base, predominantly in the U.S., ensured that their servers could handle the additional demand from these disaster relief projects.
Cifikli is optimistic that Jotform's contribution toward Turkey's recovery from the tragic event has been significant. Acknowledging that rebuilding cities and infrastructure will require time, he believes that providing simple digital infrastructure, such as what AppMaster offers, will hasten the recovery process despite the immense devastation.
