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Red Cross Volunteers Support Turkish Earthquake Victims
Kelly Hurd, Special to RedCross.org
Monday, July 07, 2003 — On May 1st, I was awakened to the horrific news that hundreds were feared dead and thousands of homes were destroyed after yet another massive earthquake ripped through southeastern Turkey. It was the radio that I was listening to; eleven time zones away in my home in Anchorage, Alaska; but I could vividly imagine the scenes of sadness, chaos, and terror, particularly after hearing that a 5-story primary school dormitory had collapsed, killing 75 children.
International Response Team Member, Kelly Hurd was deployed to Bingol to assist with the relief distribution.
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As an employee of the American Red Cross of Alaska, and a member of the worldwide Red Cross Movement, I knew that relief and comfort would be provided to the thousands affected by my partners in the Red Cross Movement. However, it wasn't until three weeks later, when I arrived in Bingol to assist in the relief effort, that I witnessed firsthand the ongoing collaborative relief operation that the Turkish Red Crescent and the American Red Cross had initiated within minutes of the fatal earthquake.
Food and shelter were the most urgent needs of the affected population, and the Red Cross Movement was swift to respond. Nearly 9,000 homes had suffered heavy to moderate damage, and there was a widespread fear of further structural damage and possible collapse from aftershocks. In response, over 14,000 tents, donated by the Turkish Red Crescent, American Red Cross, and Iranian Red Crescent were distributed in Bingol and to 88 surrounding villages. In the city center, entire communities relocated to makeshift "tent villages", which continue today to serve as temporary homes for thousands of families as they rebuild or repair their homes.
The day of the earthquake, the Turkish Red Crescent dispatched a team of cooks to the area and within hours of their arrival, served the first meal, thus beginning a massive feeding operation that would nourish nearly 15,000 people daily and last more than a month. Twice a day, Turkish Red Crescent mobile kitchens would fan out through the affected areas, and within minutes of their arrival, crowds would queue up to receive their families' portion. Hygiene kits, kitchen sets, and infants' needs were also a part of the web of services provided by the organization to assist families with their most urgent, immediate needs.
Volunteers with the TRCS carry the 150 pound relief parcels to earthquake victims.
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Those of us who perform relief work quickly learn that disasters know no borders, and all people are vulnerable to their destructive and deadly whims. However, nighttime is a particularly dangerous period for an earthquake to occur because most people are home asleep.
The American Red Cross has a long history of partnership and collaboration with the Turkish Red Crescent and has a full-time delegation stationed in Ankara. When the Bingol earthquake struck in early May, American Red Cross staff members were immediately dispatched to the area to assist with the response to the disaster. To complement Turkish Red Crescent's relief actions, the American Red Cross offered to provide a large dry-food distribution to the families most heavily impacted by the earthquake, which would feed nearly 58,500 people for a month.
Carrying out a large-scale food distribution is a complex feat, requiring hours of planning and coordination and an organized, dedicated team for implementation. When I arrived in Ankara, the first stages of the distribution had been completed. The relief parcels had been ordered and over 60 truck loads of relief items were scheduled to arrive in Bingol the last week of May.
Two days after my arrival in Turkey, I joined the Red Cross and Red Crescent staff departing for the earthquake affected area that was in charge of implementing the distribution. Our convoy of vehicles carrying the Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems left the densely populated city of Ankara and continued for nearly 14 hours traversing a varied and spectacular terrain; over the mountain passes located on the outskirts of Ankara, on to the austere beauty of the Anatolian Plateau, through the fan-shaped flood plains formed by the Tigris and Euphrates basin, and finally to the lush, rugged, mountains spiked with deep gorges and fast-flowing rivers of south eastern Turkey.
Over 58,500 people received food supplies for one month to assist in their recovery of the disaster..
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Upon arrival at the relief camp, our team quickly set to work finalizing details: we needed to select distribution locations; notify local authorities about the distribution; procure delivery trucks; and establish a system to track and monitor the movement of the relief goods. However, it wasn't until I saw truck after truck roll into our camp, waiting to be unloaded into a massive warehouse that would soon would be filled with food, did I realize the enormity of the relief distribution
Over the course of seven days, Turkish Red Crescent teams traveling to the affected areas were greeted by crowds eager to receive their relief supplies. Volunteers from the crowd stepped forward to help unload the trucks of supplies, some returning several days in a row to work tirelessly in the hot sun. Patiently the beneficiaries waited as their names were called off of the list to come forward to take their relief items.
I can only understand a handful of words in Turkish, however "tesekkurler," which means thank you, will be one word that I won't soon forget. After expressing their appreciation, residents carried off their supplies on motor cycles with side cars, on donkeys, in wheel barrows, or simply on foot with several family members sharing the 150 pound load.
In the late afternoon, the caravan of dedicated Turkish Red Crescent staff would wind back through the mountains to the city of Bingol, stopping at the warehouse to load the relief supplies for the next day's distribution onto the trucks. The days were long and filled with hard work, but the smiles on the faces of people we helped kept us centered on our mission and made the long hours worthwhile.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross also supplies nearly half of the nation's lifesaving blood. This, too, is made possible by generous voluntary donations. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. You can make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. To donate blood, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or contact your local Red Cross to find out about upcoming blood drives.
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