The Vietnamese community in Istanbul was not left out. Through the Vietnamese Community in Türkiye group, we organized relief efforts, mobilizing acquaintances and philanthropists to contribute. Each person contributed a little, and together we collected approximately 700-800 sets of winter clothes for children, along with many t-shirts for adults.
Unfortunately, all cities in Türkiye are currently experiencing freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, significantly impacting rescue efforts. The cold is also weakening the resilience of those trapped under rubble awaiting rescue.
Local authorities also quickly organized relief efforts in a very professional manner, thanks to good infrastructure and organization. In each district, there were several collection points for goods, and the packages sent there were loaded onto waiting trucks and transported to the affected areas.
Local officials are urging residents to limit personal activities on the streets to ensure smooth traffic flow for relief efforts.
The earthquake's damage is so extensive that rescue teams have not yet been able to reach all affected areas. It is estimated that it will take approximately 4-5 more days for domestic and international search and rescue forces to reach all areas requiring assistance.
Duong Nam Phuong (standing) and his friends pack relief clothing for earthquake victims. Photo: Provided by the subject.
In the earthquake-affected area, the majority of residents are locals and Syrian refugees. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese population is mainly concentrated in major cities in western Türkiye.
The high death toll was partly due to the earthquake occurring in the early morning, when people were still asleep and unable to escape in time. If it had happened during the day, the casualties might not have been so horrific.
Although the Turkish people have witnessed many earthquakes of magnitude 5 or 6 before, this week's tremor (7.8 magnitude) left everyone stunned and shocked. Daily activities elsewhere continued as normal, but the general mood was one of being unable to concentrate on work or study, and instead wanting to join hands in supporting the victims.
Everyone should take some time to participate in volunteer activities. Honestly, no one has the mental capacity to do anything else when they constantly witness images of victims losing all their possessions, homes, and even all their family members.
During this time, fundraising efforts by the Vietnamese community in Istanbul will continue as the aftermath of the earthquake continues and the search for survivors is not yet over.
Rescue teams continued their race on February 8th to find more survivors as the death toll from the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria rose to over 11,200. Cold weather and numerous aftershocks hampered rescue efforts. According to Reuters , the death toll in Turkey and Syria was over 8,700 and 2,500, respectively.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited Pazarcik, the epicenter of the earthquake, and Hatay province, the hardest-hit area, on February 8. Turkish authorities said approximately 13.5 million people were affected in an area stretching about 450 kilometers from Adana in the west to Diyarbakir in the east. Around 60,000 rescue workers were present in the disaster zone but were unable to rescue everyone trapped in time.
Xuan Mai
(*) The author lived in Istanbul, Türkiye for 14 years and is one of the three administrators of the Facebook page "Vietnamese Community in Türkiye".
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