Disaster In Türkiye

In 4 days’ time, the lives of millions of people have been changed forever. On Monday, February 6th, Türkiye, and Syria were hit by two earthquakes, one being a 7.8 magnitude followed by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. These earthquakes have caused these countries upwards of 1 billion dollars in damages and the lives of over 19,000 people. Efforts continue to look for survivors through the miles of rubble, however, people are starting to lose hope. Experts on the issue have said that past the 72-hour mark is the point of little survival for these people. This has impacted the lives of many, some of which are even affected here in Waukee. 

One student affected by this disaster is Defna Tekinalp, a junior at Waukee High School. Defna stated “I and my family’s initial reaction was a lot of shock and fear. We didn’t really know what to expect from it. We wished and prayed that the damage wouldn’t be too bad, but as the news came in we realized the gravity of the situation.” Defna and many other people like her are being affected by this, fearing for their family members’ lives. Defna later went on to state “My mom’s cousin was in one of the impacted cities (not the epicenter) called Diyarbakir. Luckily she and her family are fine, but after the second earthquake, they decided to take refuge in her husband’s workplace. She has a 6-month-old baby, so we are worrying about their well-being a lot. They are currently safe and her husband is helping with search and rescue efforts. My parents have many friends and former colleagues who have lost many of their family members.” Defna’s worry for her family highlights the already tense feelings that no matter who you are, this event will impact you in one way or another. 

Another student affected by this issue is junior Filiz Sonmez. Filiz spoke on how “[She] was scared for my family and friends that are in Turkey currently.” Filiz had a few relatives that were injured in the rubble, thankfully none died. Filiz also stated, “It will have a big impact on Turkey’s and Syria’s supplies and hopefully people around the world will donate and do their best to help everyone.” The junior hopes that people will donate, and provided us with links to donate which will be at the bottom of this article. 

Overall, this disaster has affected many, but this can have positive impacts on the world. Greece, a long-time opposition to Türkiye, was one of the first to send aid showing that this issue is bigger than politics. The EU, Israel, the US, and other countries have all come together to help people in need. However, while Türkiye has been affected by this, so has Syria. Thousands of Syrian refugees have gone from bad to worse living conditions and are in desperate need of help. Defna urges people to “remind people to include Syria in their thoughts and prayers. If people want to help, there are many trusted organizations to donate to, which can be found through main news organizations.” Only time will tell what happens to the world as a result of this, but many people around the world only wish for the best.

As of writing this article, the current death toll has risen to over 36,000 people killed. For a better understanding of the catastrophic effects of this, the population of Waukee is closer to 28,000. We have been recommended a link to donate to this cause by Defne, and we hope this disaster ends soon. 

Link to donate: https://www.charitynavigator.org/discover-charities/where-to-give/earthquakes-turkey-syria/