Dilan Babat- Elfazi Toral

 

MEREŞ - Esme Işık, who was rescued from the wreckage 10 hours later, said that they were rescued not by AFAD, but by the efforts of the citizens themselves. Esme noted that they got rid of the wreckage, but now they could not even find a place to stay.

 

Two days later, Elbistan, which was one of the centers where the destruction was most severe in the two earthquakes in Mereş on February 6, was entered. Citizens, who were left to their fate for two days, rescued those who were under the rubble by their own means on the first day of the earthquake. Nearly 3,000 buildings and residences were destroyed, and 70% of the district was completely destroyed. While search and rescue works continue in only a small part of the destroyed buildings in the district center, 70 percent of the debris has not been reached yet. In the district where not even a single tent is set up, there is neither water, electricity, nor materials to solve the heating problem, nor is there a place where people can take shelter in the district where the air temperature drops to minus 15.

 

Esme Işık, who survived the earthquake 10 hours later, told our agency about her experiences.

 

10 hours under the rubble

 

Stating that they were caught in the earthquake in the morning and went out immediately, Esme said that they stayed outside until 13.00. Stating that aftershocks continued after the big earthquake, Esme said, “I went home with my husband, brother and sister-in-law to warm up. We were thinking of having a tea and going out again. There was an earthquake again until we got out, and just as we were trying to get out, the wall and ceiling collapsed on us. There was a sofa and coffee table next to me, I immediately stretched my feet to the side of the coffee table. We were under that wreckage for 10 hours, and we started shouting 'we are alive, save us."

 

'It's not AFAD, the people here saved us'

 

 Noting that there were only four people in the house and their children were outside, Esme explained her experiences with the following words: "My husband was in another room, luckily he had a phone with his, my son called us, he could not reach us, he called his father immediately, and his father asked for help, saying, 'we are just under the rubble, help'. My children and those who could save themselves saved us. There was no AFAD, these people saved us. They brought a bucket, four or five hours later, after removing most of the wreckage, that is, after 10 hours, we were able to escape. My husband, me and my brother are in good condition, but my sister-in-law did not survive the wreck. We survived, but now we have no place to go.”

 

'There are still people under the rubble'

 

Stating that even a tent has not come to the city despite the cold weather, Esme said, “We don't know why they entered here two days later. Everywhere is devastated, there is only a cemevi here. All the people take shelter here. We went to a village, we set up a tent on the mud, but we couldn't do it either. Aftershocks continue and we are afraid, aid comes, but our biggest problem is the lack of tents. We don't have a home, we don't have a place to stay. It was the people who saved people under the rubble here, then AFAD entered here. All these survivors are miracles. But there are still people under the rubble and they need to be removed.”