One year after the earthquake in Syria and Turkey: 4 victims talk about their hope and despair
Feb 05 2024
7 minutes
A year after major earthquakes devastated large parts of Turkey and Syria, the population is still struggling with problems, including in terms of housing and psychological support. 11.11.11 spoke with 4 victims about that fateful night, about the unimaginable courage to continue and about life today.
On February 6, 2023, two earthquakes measuring 7,8 and 7,6 magnitude struck southern Turkey and neighboring regions in northwestern Syria. More than 50.000 people lost their lives in Turkey, more than 8.000 in Syria.
Hundreds of thousands of homes were razed to the ground, leaving many families displaced. Sleeping at home was not an option for many, it was far too dangerous. Especially with the thousands of aftershocks that continue to ravage the area.
Tammam Aljamous: “I fled from a war and now I want to help people build a life.”
Syrian Tammam experienced the earthquake from the front row. In 2015, he went to Gaziantep, Turkey, with his organization, 11.11.11-partner Olive Branch, to help Syrian refugees. One year ago, the earthquake suddenly turned his life upside down: “I saw a building shake while I knew my daughter was inside. I lived through 5 years of war in Syria, but the fear that I could lose my entire family made this the worst day of my life. We spent the first two days in our car.”
Despite the fear and chaos, Tammam and Olive Branch immediately took action, with the financial support of 11.11.11. “In the first few weeks we set emergency kitchens up and we shared meals. Then we shared hygiene products, blankets and school supplies for children. We also gave vouchers to families to go to the supermarket. After that, the needs shifted more to housing, employment and psychosocial support. We fell back on our experience of the war in Syria. That's how we knew what was needed.”
Even today, many Syrians and Turks still wear a unprocessed trauma with it. Psychosocial help is one of the greatest needs today. Tammam also recognized this when he recently interviewed a young woman for a job.
"She seemed very confused. Then we asked what was going on: the conversation was on the fifth floor and it was the first time she had been in such a high building again. She was 25 years old and so scared," he says. "Things that seem so mundane to other people can be a traumatic trigger for people here."
And so, one year later, Tammam continues to work hard every day.”I fled from a war and lost so many people. I don't want to wait, I want to keep helping. I want to help people build a life. Turkey protected me and my daughters, I will never forget that. I know there are problems, but I want to continue and build on the positive."
Derya Cengiz: “Some Turks chased Syrian refugees out of their homes to live there themselves.”
Derya, a Turkish woman, also still remembers the fear and chaos of those first hours and days. She lost her cousin in Kahramanmaraş, a Turkish city near the epicenter. “My family and I searched for her for days, in vain. In Antakya I lost 16 friends – so many friends. The loss was enormous.”
But Derya also took action. Together with her friends and Olive Branch, the organization she works for, she responded to the first needs such as food and hygiene kits. Now the needs are different. "Many people have lost their jobs due to the earthquake and have to pick up their lives again. For them we are now starting a project where they can do an internship. "
There are also still many people living in tents and containers. The needs are sky-high, especially for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Surveys of hundreds of Syrian refugees in Turkey by 11.11.11 and Upinion shows that they have poor access to aid, housing and psychosocial support. Violence and discrimination by Turkish authorities are also ubiquitous.
11.11.11-partner Olive Branch supports them and testifies to the discrimination that worsened after the earthquake. “There is a village in the mountains where many Syrian families live. The village was not really affected by the earthquake, which is why some Turks sought refuge there. They forced Syrians from their homes to live there themselves. They should not expect any support from the government.”
Derya herself could count on a lot of support. “Willem and Shaymaa [11.11.11-colleagues] were there for a week and always asked first if we were okay. Work came second.”
Marwa Omar al-Salloum: “The war had already drained many Syrians and the earthquake provided an additional blow.”
Syrian Marwa (30) experienced the earthquake on the other side of the Turkish border. She moved to Turkey in 2019 with her husband and three children. Idlib, a city and province in northwestern Syria. For many the last refuge before the war and the Syrian regime.
Then came the earthquake: “It was a night full of fear and panic. I slept with my children because my youngest was sick and woke up in another world. I protected them with my body from the ceiling and walls that started to crack.”
“We survived that night, but barely survived the horror and fear that followed. I lost family, friends and neighbors, but there was no time to grieve.”
With Maruna Women's Centre, the organization she works for and which also collaborates with 11.11.11partner Women Now for Development, she helped victims. “We rushed to pull people out from under the rubble, we prepared meals for the aid workers and made birthing kits for women who were giving birth. Thanks to training from Women Now, we were also able to provide psychological support to families.”
But a year after the major earthquakes, there are still too few resources for many Syrians. “Many people still have no roof over their heads, live with a shortage of food and suffer psychological pain. After the war that had already drained them, the earthquake added a crisis on top of a crisis.”
The only thing Marwa wishes is safety: “My youngest child is called Aman, which means safety in Arabic. And that is the only thing I desire: safety for my family, my country and myself.”
Ismail Abdullah: “While you are trying to rescue people from the rubble, your own family is also in danger.”
Safety is what Ismail took care of before, during and after the earthquake. He is one of the many volunteers at the White Helmets, the rubble clearers of the war in Syria. And suddenly also the hope and saviors for victims of the earthquake.
"The search and rescue operations were completely different. Where we had previously had experience of rescuing twenty people from one or two bombed sites, we now had to rescue thousands of people from hundreds of locations. An immense challenge, but one that increased our experience and ability to work under time pressure.”
With simple equipment and limited resources, the White Helmets searched for survivors and recovered victims. “We had not enough equipment to quickly search for people under the rubble, such as thermal sensors and cameras. We also did not have enough heavy machinery to move the rubble. Imagine rescuing someone who was on the ground floor and is now trapped under a collapsed 7-story building. If you do not lift the rubble carefully enough, more people will die.”
Ismail still remembers well the rescue of a 10 year old girl. “She had been under the rubble for 40 hours and it was a very delicate operation. After many attempts we had to make the difficult decision to amputate her foot. It was the only way to free her. But luckily she made it.”
While Ismail and other volunteers helped victims, their families were also in danger. “The many aftershocks were even worse. While you are trying to rescue people from under the rubble, the ground starts shaking again. At such a moment you have to stay calm and forget the thought that your family is only a few meters or kilometers away. You try to help a second family, but the fear is indescribable.”
“Other colleagues of mine also had to make heartbreaking choices. For example, one of them evacuated his wife to another city, but she gave birth to their child there. He couldn't see his baby until after the search and rescue operation.”
And it certainly didn't always end well. “One of my fellow volunteers lost his entire family, attended the funeral and went straight back to work. There was no time to mourn. “The fact that we couldn't save everyone is what hurts us most to this day.”
“The only thing that keeps you strong at times like this is trying to do what we volunteered to do: helping people. You have no other choice.”
Copyright header image: Belga Image
Do you support the victims of the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey?
Together with Olive Branch, Women Now and other partners in Syria and Turkey, we continue to support the needs of the population, even one year after the earthquake. With you too?
