A source of witness the “mutual aid” and “mutual support” in the drama of the earthquake. A restaurant offers free food, private schools and companies open their doors to welcome the displaced. However, as in the past, the failures of the government’s aid machine are beginning to appear. Alarm also in UNESCO for the world heritage sites in danger.
Milan () – “What we need is the solidarity that exists in the hearts of the people, what we need is mutual help, reciprocal support. One example among many? A restaurant that offers free food, a hot meal without asking for anything In return [en la foto]”. Thus speaks Güzide (who asks to be cited only by name), a source of in Diyarbakir, a Kurdish-majority area in southeastern Turkey, also heavily affected by the earthquake on February 6. “Some private schools, several companies and non-governmental organizations -he continues- opened the doors of their premises to the displaced, offering them refuge. The situation is starting to get really tough, it’s very cold and it’s impossible to stay outdoors for many hours.”
“Several buildings collapsed in the city,” says Güzide, who works in the communication sector, “and many people died, others are still trapped” in the rubble of the houses. Right now there are many needs: “People urgently need tents, shelter and food too,” he continues. “Actually, they need everything from blankets to clothes, because “they lost their houses with everything in them.” Then there is the human side of the tragedy, represented by the loss of “family, relatives, friends. What matters now is that they can find a place to stay and receive help”, then they will have to think about psychological support and reconstruction of the urban and social fabric.
Meanwhile, the balance of the earthquake, which has so far caused more than 16,000 victims, and others remain buried in the rubble in Turkey and Syria, continues to worsen. Yesterday, Ankara had imposed strong restrictions on the networks, especially on Twitter, just at the time when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was visiting some of the affected areas. This morning the blockades were lifted, after a wave of protests sparked by opponents, intellectuals and activists who pointed out that social networks are a precious tool in the work of first responders and aid coordination. During the inspections, Erdogan himself admitted delays and problems, but also added that such a catastrophe was impossible to foresee. Words that look at the elections on May 14 -also confirmed in the areas in a state of emergency-, in which the leader and the government will risk their political future and could change many balances in Turkey and the Middle East.
Meanwhile, in Diyarbakir and throughout the Kurdish-majority region, the scene of repression and offensives in the past to quell ethnic tensions under the guise of terrorism and independence (read PKK), there is a risk of witnessing scenes already seen. A kind of abandonment by the central authorities and the aid machine that becomes a “do it yourself” that brings together firefighters and ordinary citizens, without the teams of experts in catastrophes or the essential means for rescue operations and recovery. The destruction is widespread in this city of 250,000 inhabitants, almost 200 km from the epicenter of the earthquake, and many accuse the institutions of widespread corruption, which, starting with the buildings built without anti-seismic criteria, would have amplified the tragedy. Institutionalized abuse and corruption under Erdogan, while rumors of Turkish air strikes against Kurdish YPG targets in Syria spread even during the earthquake.
“For now, we don’t see many government agencies operating in the area,” stresses the source. , but “there are several NGOs that have set up a crisis table and try to help when contacted and in case of need.” “These groups – he continues – are trying to provide first aid and, despite the emergency, they are doing a good job.” “There are political tensions in the area,” concludes Güzide, “but what we have to talk about now is how to help people, how to show solidarity, how to find a hot meal and a safe place. About restaurants that offer food and places that open their doors to offer shelter.”
Lastly, in addition to the loss of human lives, the important balance of architectural and cultural damage is also worrisome. UNESCO experts sounded the alarm over the “collapse of several buildings” of the Diyarbakir Fortress, recognized as a World Heritage Site, and the damage to the nearby Hevsel Gardens. The whole area was an important center in Roman, then Byzantine, Islamic and finally Ottoman times, and today it is difficult to access it due to its isolation and broken communication routes. Other endangered heritage sites include Göbekli Tepe (Kurdish for “sacred ruins”), an archaeological site 18 km north of the city of Şanlıurfa, and Nemrut Dağı, with its giant statues.
