{"id":3814,"date":"2023-02-09T15:57:29","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T15:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3814"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:38:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:38:01","slug":"earthquake-survivors-in-turkey-and-syria-struggle-to-keep-warm-and-nourished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/climate\/earthquake-survivors-in-turkey-and-syria-struggle-to-keep-warm-and-nourished\/2023\/02\/09\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria struggle to keep warm and nourished"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antakya,<\/span> Turkey<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span>\u00a0Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> displaced<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> devastating<\/span> earthquake<\/span> gather<\/span> around<\/span> a<\/span> campfire<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> bitter<\/span> cold,<\/span> three<\/span> days<\/span> after<\/span> an<\/span> earthquake<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> series<\/span> of<\/span> aftershocks<\/span> hit<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria. <\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Rescuers<\/span> used<\/span> pickaxes,<\/span> shovels,<\/span> and<\/span> jackhammers<\/span> to<\/span> dig<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> twisted<\/span> metal<\/span> and<\/span> concrete,<\/span> sometimes<\/span> dragging<\/span> out<\/span> survivors.<\/span> In<\/span> some<\/span> places,<\/span> however,<\/span> the<\/span> focus<\/span> has<\/span> shifted<\/span> to<\/span> the\u00a0demolition<\/span> of<\/span> unstable<\/span> buildings.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Stories<\/span> of<\/span> miraculous<\/span> rescues<\/span> were<\/span> temporarily<\/span> uplifting,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> stark<\/span> reality<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> hardships<\/span> faced<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> who<\/span> survived<\/span> the<\/span> disaster<\/span> was<\/span> overshadowed.<\/span> ,<\/span> surpassing<\/span> the<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> from<\/span> 2011<\/span> Japan<\/span> earthquake,<\/span> which<\/span> killed<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 18,400<\/span> people.<\/span> Northwestern<\/span> Syria<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> UN<\/span> aid<\/span> truck<\/span> to<\/span> enter<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> territory<\/span> from<\/span> Turkey<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake<\/span> struck,<\/span> highlighting<\/span> the<\/span> difficulty<\/span> of<\/span> getting<\/span> aid<\/span> to<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> war-torn<\/span> country.<\/span> doing.<\/span> Meanwhile,<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Turkish<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Antakya,<\/span> dozens<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> swarmed<\/span> in<\/span> front<\/span> of<\/span> trucks<\/span> distributing<\/span> children’s<\/span> coats<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> relief<\/span> items.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>One<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> survivors,<\/span> Ahmet<\/span> Tokgoz,<\/span> called<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> to<\/span> evacuate<\/span> people<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> affected<\/span> areas.<\/span> Many<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> displaced<\/span> people<\/span> have<\/span> taken<\/span> refuge<\/span> in<\/span> tents,<\/span> stadiums<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> makeshift<\/span> shelters,<\/span> while<\/span> others<\/span> are<\/span> spending<\/span> the<\/span> night<\/span> outdoors.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Winter<\/span> weather<\/span> and<\/span> damage<\/span> to<\/span> roads<\/span> and<\/span> airports<\/span> have<\/span> hampered<\/span> responses<\/span> in<\/span> both<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria.<\/span> Efforts<\/span> are<\/span> further<\/span> complicated<\/span> by<\/span> civil<\/span> wars<\/span> that<\/span> have<\/span> displaced<\/span> millions<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria.<\/span> Some<\/span> Turkish<\/span> people<\/span> complain<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> response<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> too<\/span> slow.<\/span> The<\/span> realization<\/span> could<\/span> hurt<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan,<\/span> who<\/span> faces<\/span> an<\/span> uphill<\/span> battle<\/span> for<\/span> re-election<\/span> in<\/span> May.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> Turkish<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Elbistan,<\/span> rescuers<\/span> stood<\/span> atop<\/span> a<\/span> tall<\/span> pile<\/span> of<\/span> rubble<\/span> of<\/span> collapsed<\/span> houses<\/span> and<\/span> hoisted<\/span> a<\/span> missing<\/span> elderly<\/span> woman.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>More<\/span> and<\/span> more,<\/span> however,<\/span> teams<\/span> pulled<\/span> bodies<\/span> from<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> rubble.<\/span> In<\/span> Antakya,<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 100<\/span> bodies<\/span> lay<\/span> covered<\/span> in<\/span> blankets<\/span> in<\/span> makeshift<\/span> morgues<\/span> and<\/span> refrigerated<\/span> trucks<\/span> outside<\/span> a<\/span> hospital.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Teams<\/span> began<\/span> demolition<\/span> of<\/span> buildings<\/span> in<\/span> several<\/span> locations<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> chances<\/span> of<\/span> finding<\/span> a<\/span> living<\/span> person<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rubble<\/span> decreased.<\/span> In<\/span> others,<\/span> they<\/span> just<\/span> had<\/span> to<\/span> move<\/span> on.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> man<\/span> who<\/span> gave<\/span> only<\/span> his<\/span> first<\/span> name,<\/span> Ahmet,<\/span> for<\/span> fear<\/span> of<\/span> government<\/span> retaliation,<\/span> later<\/span> asked<\/span> his<\/span> AP:<\/span>
\n<\/span>“How<\/span> am<\/span> I<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> home<\/span> and<\/span> sleep?<\/span> My<\/span> brother<\/span> is<\/span> there.<\/span> Maybe<\/span> he’s<\/span> still<\/span> alive.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Mehmet<\/span> Yilmaz<\/span> watched<\/span> from<\/span> afar<\/span> and<\/span> estimated<\/span> that<\/span> there<\/span> were<\/span> about<\/span> 80<\/span> people<\/span> still<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> rubble,<\/span> but<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> thought<\/span> unlikely<\/span> that<\/span> anyone<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> recovered<\/span> alive.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Authorities<\/span> called<\/span> off<\/span> search<\/span> and<\/span> rescue<\/span> operations<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> towns<\/span> of<\/span> Kilis<\/span> and<\/span> \u015eanl\u0131urfa<\/span> on<\/span> Thursday,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> damage<\/span> was<\/span> not<\/span> as<\/span> severe<\/span> as<\/span> in<\/span> other<\/span> areas.<\/span> Aid<\/span> trickled<\/span> in<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> borders<\/span> of<\/span> conflict-torn<\/span> Syria.<\/span> A<\/span> small<\/span> aid<\/span> organization<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> sending<\/span> supplies<\/span> to<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Syria,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> UN<\/span> trucks<\/span> began<\/span> arriving<\/span> on<\/span> Thursday.The<\/span> UN<\/span> has<\/span> allowed<\/span> aid<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> delivered<\/span> only<\/span> through<\/span> border<\/span> crossings.<\/span> road<\/span> damage<\/span> has<\/span> so<\/span> far<\/span> prevented<\/span> this.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>UN<\/span> officials<\/span> said<\/span> more<\/span> was<\/span> needed,<\/span> arguing<\/span> that<\/span> humanitarian<\/span> concerns<\/span> should<\/span> take<\/span> precedence<\/span> over<\/span> politics.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> level<\/span> of<\/span> loss<\/span> and<\/span> suffering<\/span> that<\/span> people<\/span> tended<\/span> to<\/span> suffer<\/span> was<\/span> still<\/span> massive.<\/span> Turkish<\/span> officials<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Thursday<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> had<\/span> risen<\/span> to<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 16,100,<\/span> with<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 64,000<\/span> injured.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Delivery to<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> was<\/span> scheduled<\/span> before<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake<\/span>\u00a0but<\/span> was<\/span> delayed<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> road<\/span> damage.<\/span> A<\/span> UN<\/span> official<\/span> said<\/span> more<\/span> trucks<\/span> would<\/span> follow<\/span> suit.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antakya, Turkey (AP) –\u00a0Thousands of people displaced by the devastating earthquake gather around a campfire in the bitter cold, three days after an earthquake and a series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria. \u00a0 Rescuers used pickaxes, shovels, and jackhammers to dig through the twisted metal and concrete, sometimes dragging out survivors. In some places, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[714,562,1034,2428],"tags":[405,471,487,1008,1009,1035],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/turkeyQUIAKE.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3814"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3816,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3814\/revisions\/3816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}