The painful tremors of the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey are being felt around the world.
The death toll from the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade rose to more than 11,000 on Wednesday.
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In Saskatchewan, Turkish and Syrian immigrants are struggling in the aftermath of the disaster.
Some have lost their family and friends, while others have been fortunate to hear the good news.
Murat Tarkan, a Regina resident, said: “This morning we got the news from a friend of mine that one of his girls who is six to seven years old is alive and we are very happy.” For others in Tarkan’s life, some days have been tough.
“My other friend who is a painter in Regina lost his family,” Tarkan explained. “His brother, wife, kids are all dead, so we had dinner together here and we stayed and tried to help him.”
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake has left thousands of people stranded in both Syria and Turkey waiting for help. Search teams from more than two dozen countries have joined thousands of local emergency workers, and aid has been pledged from around the world to help those affected by the disaster.
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For Saskatoon resident Rana Mustafa, his family lived in difficult circumstances even before the quake, as he only had access to electricity for 30 minutes every five hours.
“They’re in survival mode,” Mustafa said, pausing to collect his thoughts.
Now after the earthquake, communication has become even more difficult.
“Things are bad and they haven’t had internet or electricity for a long time,” Mustafa said. “They didn’t have internet or a charged phone, so I was unable to find out what was going on after the second quake.”
Breanne England, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said people do not have shelter from the elements and are sleeping on the streets in freezing conditions without insulation.
“It’s really important to visualize what’s happening on the ground right now,” England said. “If you have no shelter from the elements and it’s snowing and freezing, it’s a life-and-death situation.”
The public is invited to support the Red Cross through its website to volunteer internationally and domestically, as well as through financial contributions.
As part of the relief efforts in Saskatchewan, SaskTel has announced that it will waive all long distance calls and messaging fees made from Canada to Syria or Turkey.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey earlier this week,” said Don Morgan, the minister responsible for Saskatchewan.
“In times of crisis, it is important that we come together as a community to support those who need it most and help where possible. Turkish and Syrian families who call this province home, please know that Saskatchewan is here for you.
Fee exemption will be from 9 February to 28 February 2023.
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