Couple’s cash push for stricken village
A heartbroken East Kilbride couple have raised thousands of pounds to support an entire village devastated by the earthquake in Turkey.
In just a few days Amelia Demiral and her husband Omer collected more than £3800 in online donations for the village of Damlacik in the south-eastern province of Adiyaman which was hit by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake last Monday.
Fifteen members of Omer’s family, including his elderly mother, siblings and six children including his baby nephew, fortunately survived the disaster but have been forced to shelter in a cramped shipping container since fleeing the family home in terror in the middle of the night.
Tragically, Omer has since received word that several of his missing cousins and extended family and friends buried under the rubble and feared dead have lost their lives in the tragedy with homes in the area completely flattened.
The St Leonards couple have raised more than double their fundraising target of £1500 to help families living in the tiny rural village attempt to rebuild their lives.
Amelia said: “Omer’s mother, his two brothers and two sisters all live in that area. Their house is now uninhabitable and his sister’s apartment block has been severely damaged. They don’t know whether they will ever be safe to move back into.
“All 15 of them have been living in a small shipping container which was being used as a canteen for the local school. They survived and they have shelter but they’re living in cold, cramped conditions.
“The rescue efforts haven’t reached their village so they’re just fending for themselves at the moment.
“We have felt so helpless hearing how they got themselves and the children out in the middle of the night, how frightened they were, and still are, and how difficult the situation is with no end in sight while we are watching it all from the comfort of our home in Scotland. This was our way of doing something to help.”
Two large earthquakes, one of magnitude 7.8 and closely followed by a magnitude 7.5, hit south-eastern Turkey, claiming the lives of more than 30,000 people and counting, wreaking considerable damage in Turkey and Syria.
Nearly 200 aftershocks have followed with earthquakes of magnitude 6 being reported in the region three days after the first tremor leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and many injured.
Those who survived are facing freezing conditions and are in need of urgent aid.
Describing the terror her family faced when the earthquake hit, Amelia added: “Omer’s mum couldn’t speak for a full day after, she was so in shock and so upset.
“She’s lived there her whole life and is used to tremors living in an earthquake zone but this was just off any scale that they’re used to so she’s been absolutely terrified.
“My brother-in-law has four children and the youngest is only three months old so it’s been really tough.
“Omer couldn’t make contact with them on first day so he just didn’t know if they’d made it.
“Thankfully our immediate family are alive but Omer has lost a lot of cousins and extended family and friends, and the children have lost friends. There’s not one person who hasn’t been touched by it. For many there’s just nothing to return to.”
Describing the winters in the south east as “harsh” with temperatures dropping to as low as minus15C, Amelia said losing the family home is just the beginning of their nightmare.
“As if losing their homes wasn’t difficult enough”, she said. “People think Turkey is this really sunny, hot holiday destination, but the southeast where they are is not far from the Syrian border and is incredibly cold over winter with snow worse than our winters.
“We have no idea if their homes will be able to be lived in again nor how soon rebuilding and repairs will be able to start. We do know a lot of support is required.
“It’s heartbreaking for Omer to see the suffering his family and fellow countrymen are experiencing. Raising this money has made him feel useful doing something from here during this terrible time.
“We want to say thank you to everyone for their support. We are overwhelmed not only by the donations but also the kindness and good wishes.”