Fatma’s family is sockless, homeless and, at the moment, mostly hopeless.
“We had only just moved here from Afghanistan into a new house when it happened,” she said of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that shook eastern Turkey Oct. 23, killing about 600 people.
She hasn’t felt safe in her home since — and neither do the others who share an open lot with her in Van, living in tents between cracked buildings.
It’s hard to blame them. Dozens of “micro” to “minor” aftershocks shake the area daily.
The country is positioned on several major fault lines. Many people lost family and friends in the quake.
Fear is rampant, so survivors sleep outside in sub-freezing temperatures without proper clothing and run the risk of bronchitis — and worse — from the cold and from smoky fires lit inside their tents.
Some homes still standing could crumble at any moment, but officials say some homes are safe to live in — they just can’t coax everyone back inside.
Their task will prove even harder now that a second quake — a 5.6 magnitude tremor — took down at least 25 weakened buildings in Van on Nov. 9, just 17 days after the first quake.
So far, the death toll stands at nine from that quake, with 23 others rescued alive from the rubble and about 100 more still missing, according to BBC News.
Most of the buildings that collapsed were empty, so rescue crews are focusing on two hotels and one apartment building that have people trapped inside.
Many of those trapped are journalists and international relief workers, as Van had become the hub for aid workers helping after the Oct. 23 quake.
But not all the manpower has been coming from the outside.
Providing round-the-clock help is the small evangelical church in Van, which is cooking meals for neighbors sleeping in tents around the church.
Churches from other cities in Turkey have also sent volunteers who, through the coordination of the Van church, help with food distribution, medical care and other needs.
People gather at the church daily by the dozens, and believers feed them and share Christ’s love with them.
“There aren’t many of us, and we are tired, but we are doing all we can,” said Coban, a member of the Van church.
“They see the love and they are able to hear why we do this.”
For information on how to help the people of eastern Turkey, visit gobgr.com.
Editor’s Note — Names have been changed for security reasons. (IMB)
Share with others: