How many more tragedies are we yet to endure in 2020? How many more deaths will there be? How many more losses will we see and how much more bad news is yet to come?
As if the pandemic wasn’t bad enough already, we witnessed a number of calamities befalling the world this year. Starting from the Australian Bushfire, and going all the way to the city of Beirut, Lebanon, blowing up, it would be an understatement to say that 2020 has not been the year for humanity.
The latest in the terrible ordeals has been the massive earthquake that shuddered through the Aegean Sea Seferihisar District on Friday, 30th October and wreaked havoc in the city of Izmir, Turkey and the Greek islands.
Operations being conducted after an earthquake hits the Aegean Sea, in Bayrakli district of Turkey’s coastal province of Izmir
The earthquake
The earthquake struck at 13:51 local time at a magnitude of 7.0, according to the US Geological Survey while Turkey’s Emergency Management Agency put it at 6.6 magnitude. It was about 8.7 miles off the Greek town Néon Karlovásion on Samos Island, and hit at the depth of 13 miles which caused a powerful impact. The quake was so powerful in fact, that it was felt as far as Istanbul and Athens, the capital of Greece.
The greatest impact of the earthquake was felt in Izmir where buildings came crashing down like rain, and inevitably caused destruction on a large scale. Panic and fear followed the earthquake as people raced out on the streets, shaken by the tremors, which downright destroyed 13 buildings and caused heavy damage to 3,000 more. The metal debris from the fallen buildings claimed hundreds of lives and injured even more. As reported by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority or AFAD, about 114 people died as a result of the quake and more than 1,000 got injured. A majority of the latter have been discharged from the hospital while some are still under care.
In Samos Island, a wall collapsed due to the quake, killing two teenagers and injuring about eight other people. The earthquake triggered a small tsunami as well on the port of Samos which destroyed several buildings. There were reports of flooding on the port of Izmir too and some buildings were damaged. About 2,354 aftershocks followed the earthquake, 46 of them had a magnitude of over 4. People were asked to stay away from tall buildings as they could topple over.
Rescue Operation
The earthquake had a huge effect on a lot of people, especially those who lost their family members to the calamity. Homes and businesses were destroyed in a matter of minutes and Izmir reflected a chaotic place. It will probably take quite a long time for the people of Izmir to recover again but at the same time, the emergency aid and rescue help, provided by the Turkish government to help the affected people, deserves a lot of credit.
The rescue operation to salvage people from the rubble of the damaged infrastructure started immediately after the earthquake and continued for 6 days, ending on the 4th of November. About 2,151 search and rescue personnel took part in the operation and the number grew to 8,712 personnel as Turkey’s National Medical Rescue Team also joined, with assisting fire brigades and search dogs. According to AFAD, 107 people were buried under the rubble, and the team worked tirelessly to rescue them. After 72 hours, when some people were still missing, people gave up hope of them making it out of the rubble alive. But amid the deaths, there were stories of hope and survival. A two year girl, Ayda Gezgin was rescued 91 hours after the quake, from the rubble of her destroyed home. There were scenes of rejoice as rescue workers clapped and cried with gratitude as Ayda was carried away to safety.
Ayda a girl who was impacted in the Earthquake was saved by a dishwasher
Following the earthquake, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the government would help the affected people “with all the means available to our state.” And true to his word, he took immediate steps to return Izmir to the safe haven it was before. An aid of over $2.87 million was sent to the affected area with more to be provided if needed. According to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority or AFAD, more than 2000 tents, 11,000 beds, and 19,000 blankets were provided in a temporary shelter to provide relief. Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Crescent said that Izmir was facilitated with a capacity to feed more than 56,000 people. Mobile kitchens, heater sets, hot and cold drinks were provided to people as a relief.
After the earthquake, condolences poured in from different countries wishing Izmir a speedy recovery and well wishes. The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis reached out to Erdogan and said in a tweet that “Whatever our differences, these are times when our people need to stand together.” Both countries were previously in tight relations over the rights of eastern Mediterranean areas but Erdogan replied back “Turkey, too, is always ready to help Greece heal its wounds. That two neighbours show solidarity in difficult times is more valuable than many things in life.” Erdogan also said that he was “determined to heal the wounds of our brothers and sisters in Izmir before the cold and rains begin.” Erdogan said that as soon as the rescue team is done, construction would begin to start to build the homes of those that were destroyed due to this Earthquake.
Turkey and Greece both sit on fault lines and are prone to earthquakes. In 1999, 18,000 people were killed in northwest Turkey when two powerful quakes struck.
People may blame the loss of lives and damage on Turkey’s heritage of having a mix of old-fashioned and modern buildings, the former being a down factor but an earthquake is what it is. It is a happening of God’s will and humans, however advanced they may get, do not stand a chance against natural calamities befalling them.
In Izmir, amid the rubble, there was a sad tale of loss, dread and hope buried. Let’s hope that Izmir regrows to become the beauty it was before, and its people find safety therein again.
