As a longterm Dutch resident I am living in Turkiye, however NOT in Eastern Turkiye. Therefore, I FEEL more involved than one would be elsewhere. So, after having slept (in my own home and bed), I sat down opened my TV, selected excellent CNN, to watch the current developments.
The reporter on the spot: deathtoll over 11.000 and still counting, sadly. Rescuers are still working 24/7 hoping to save lives and survivors. YES, one said: we still have HOPE, we still have hope to find survivors.
Then: a picture of TWO little kids, huddled together under a huge piece of concrete, still ALIVE !!! Carefully they were hoisted out and then: the cry of JOY of everyone: we SAVED 2 tiny sweet children was SO overwhelmingly wonderful that I had tears in my eyes!
WOW. It means: every LIFE counts, eh? No matter how long, how difficult: these great rescuers continue digging! And: the weather conditions are GHASTLY, cold, it is freezing there at night, but they keep digging and rescuing.
This is day 3, since this catastrophe happened. I honestly wondered whether there still would be survivors, considering the cold weather, and YES. YES. Wow I reacted: these 2 little ones, pretty resilient sturdy kids. WONDERFUL, absolutely fantastic, they made it.
Having typed that, just expressing my feelings about that: I know and realize: the loss, the grief, the traumas, afterwards are not yet even beginning.
I saw people alive, huddled in front of tent, with a fire warming their hands, WAITING WAITING hoping, hoping 🙏 their missing loved ones might have survived and be found. That BREAKS your heart, looking at them, and seeing their faces, their desperation.
As I typed, the deathtoll at the moment is over 10.000, and the freezing temperatures complicate the resue efforts, the end is not yet in sight.
Extra: The Turkish President has announced the next 3 months Turkiye is in a state of emergency.
Note: This morning I thought: I hope the Turkish Government shall declare the 6th of February a NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING. YES.
If they don’t: I shall definitely mourn every 6th February, rest of my life. I feel so shocked that I must, want to do that.
On a final note:
1.The area that has been affected is about 200.000 square kilometers. HUGE. So that takes ages to cover, and look for lost lives. Also: it was said this earthquake is the worst one GLOBALLY in 100 years.
2. It has already been explained, straight from the start, where and why and how this particular earthquake took place. The ANATOLIAN PLATES! On a map of Turkiye I could see that, running straight through Turkiye from North-West down to South-East. Deep down below, the TETONIC PLATES are MOVING!!! From Africa up north .
And at THAT crucial point where the plates North, East, South meet, deep deep below: this caused at the surface: this major cracking up of the planet. Ghastly, and: it made me realized: that is SCARY, because you can hardly prepare yourself, in my opinion.
3. However: experts together with government leaders are now FORCED to pay better attention!!! Like: building houses and apartments that can survive earthquakes: HERE !!! In Turkiye.
Many buildings here apparently do NOT MEET sufficient SAFETY standards. Many are still surrencted, cheaply, even illegally, apparently. THAT HAS TO CHANGE !! Effective NOW, because that should already have been done by the Turkish Government TWENTY FIVE YEARS ago.
From my home in Kaya Koy, Fethiye, SOUTHERN Turkiye:
Temperatures here: FREEZING at night, and ICY North Eastern cold winds. So: having a SAFE, well built, and insulated house, apartment, centrally HEATED, is also here an absolute must!!! Ie: NOT A LUXURY!!!
Willy Holmes-Spoelder.
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