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Your Helping Hands
“Despite the overwhelming level of destruction in the capital of Turkey’s Hatay province, there is still a glimmer of hope.”
I’ve seen tragic images and read heartbreaking stories following the massive earthquake that struck Turkey a few days ago. Syria has also suffered catastrophic losses.
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Looting and hygiene worries add to rescuers’ burden in Turkey.
Gizem, a rescuer from the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, said she had also seen looters in the four days she had been in Antakya.
“We cannot intervene much as most of the looters carry knives.”
She described Antakya as a place of death and destruction when she arrived. “We could not hold back our tears,” she said as ambulance sirens wailed in the background.
“If people don’t die here under the rubble, they’ll die from injuries, if not they will die from infection. There is no toilet here. It is a big problem,” she said, adding that there were not enough body bags for all the dead.
A death toll that surpasses 25,000 people. Homes reduced to rubble. Life-threatening injuries and paralyzing shock and fear.
I cannot possibly imagine what the survivors and rescuers are currently going through, but we can still help them from afar.
As we have now entered the “humanitarian phase” of the earthquake, the greatest need for those affected in Turkey is food, health and water.
You Can Try to Volunteer
“Good morning! Today, starting at 1 PM, there will be an activity which involves loading heavy materials and provisions into trucks that will be heading into Turkey and Syria. It is possible the activity will last several days. Volunteers that want to and are able to join, please come to the following address.”
I’m a volunteer for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of Romania called SMURD.
Yesterday, I helped carry heavy metal components for tents as well as heaters and sleeping bags alongside other volunteers and military personnel. The activity isn’t over yet, so I will be…
