“I can’t think of anything to eat. They just find the food they can find and give it to their children.”
On the 13th (local time), Zainef Omack, a victim of Karamanmaras who suffered from the strong earthquake in Turkiye (Turkey), told the New York Times (NYT) of the United States. Mr. Ormack and his 9-year-old and 14-year-old children were digging through the rubble of a building looking for clothes or food to beat the cold. When a strong earthquake struck at dawn a week ago, the Omack family escaped from their apartment in their pajamas.
There are more than 1 million people like the Ormack family who lost their homes and ended up in temporary shelters in Turkey alone. Survivors who suffer from cold and hunger due to lack of proper shelter and food are facing the risk of spreading infectious diseases due to lack of drinking water and poor sanitation. The fear of a ‘second disaster’ has become a reality. The United Nations said on the same day, “Now is the time to aid survivors rather than rescue (missing persons).”
Temporary shelters are mostly earthen ground with tarpaulins and boards connected to slopes and roofs. There is a shortage of clothing and medicines, as well as tents for each affected family. “There aren’t enough tents, so I sleep on the mud floor with my family,” Turkiye Jera Kurukappa told The Associated Press that day. The previous night, the temperature in the area affected by the earthquake in Turkiye fell to minus 6 degrees Celsius.
In some regions, infectious diseases such as scabies, a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), and cholera are spreading. AFP reported that scabies, a highly contagious disease, was spreading in Adiyaman, southern Turkey, and children were suffering from diarrhea. “At least 19,300 people are receiving hospital treatment,” the Ministry of Health of Turkey said. Of these, 3,636 are in intensive care.” It is said that many patients are lying in outdoor tents due to the lack of ward rooms due to the influx of patients at the hospital.
An increasing number of children are complaining of traumatic stress disorder (trauma) due to large-scale disasters. Serkan Tadoglu lost more than 10 of his relatives in the earthquake, but he has no time to grieve. Because his child is showing signs of trauma. “My six-year-old daughter keeps asking me, ‘Daddy, are we going to die?’,” Tadoglu told AFP. She said, ‘Where have her relatives gone?’” she said. Just hugging her child with her wife and saying, ‘It’ll be all right’.”
A young girl named Mirei was rescued after 178 hours in Adiyaman, southern Turkey. Rescuers are putting an oxygen mask on the girl. Parentin Coca Turkey Minister of Health, TwitterAs of the 13th, more than a week after the earthquake, the death toll exceeded 37,000, but miraculous rescues continue. In Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the earthquake, a 10-year-old girl was rescued from a collapsed apartment after 185 hours. In Adiyaman, rescuers put oxygen on a child found in the rubble after 178 hours and said, “I’ll give you strawberry milk and poacha (Turkey’s traditional bread),” a video was posted on social media and touched me. In Hatay and Antakya, a man, a brother and a 12-year-old child were each rescued alive 180 hours after the quake struck.
However, the rescue operation of the missing persons has practically entered the final stage. Martin Griffiths, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, visited Aleppo in northern Syria on the same day and said, “The search and rescue phase for survivors is coming to an end. mission,” he said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.