"Beat & Release": Paperwork-averse Truck Drivers Dump Donated Clothing for Earthquake Victims

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 28 February 2023)

                              Not even a booth to try it on.

Thousands of clothing items sent to the earthquake victims were left on

the side of the road by TIR (tractor trailer) drivers who didn't want to 

wait for AFAD (Turkish disaster-rescue organization) paperwork and 

formalities related to the deliveries. (!)

Clothing contributions from around Turkey were left along the Hatay-

Yayladağı road, forcing the victims to search through the piles for

clothes.  AFAD has been recording the deliveries and distributing them

in an orderly manner to the victims but some TIR drivers dumped their

loads along the road, rather than deal with AFAD's paperwork.

Yayladağı is in extreme southern Hatay province. 

"Beat & Release": Chopper Action Reminiscent of M*A*S*H for Earthquake Relief

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 27 February 2023)

            "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night..."

In the first hours of the earthquake calamity on 6 February Gendarmerie

helicopter pilots were faced with weather conditions that were absolutely

unsuitable for flying.  Nevertheless, their commander gave them this 

order: "We are at war! We may die trying but we're going!"

As soon as the earthquake struck the Gendarmerie General Command 

ordered helicopter pilots in Ankara, Aydın, Diyarbakır and Van to head to 

the earthquake zone.  45 minutes later, 10 helicopters, including Sikorsky

and MI-17 types, were ready in Ankara and the commander explained that

"the meteorology department said that visibility was near zero and, other 

than in Adana, the entire earthquake zone was covered in snow and fog.  

Helicopter pilots need to be able to see 3 kilometers and clouds must be at 

least 300 meters above ground.  Otherwise, you cannot fly.  So none of our 

helicopters could fly on that first day except for one in Iskenderun that 

ferried some injured victims to Adana."

On the second day the weather conditions were still very bad for flying.

Nevertheless, the commander addressed the pilots as follows: "again 

today Meteorology is forbidding us from flying, but this is a war and we

may die trying but we're going to save our people under the rubble."

The helicopters' motors were started immediately and all 10 helicopters

in Ankara took off but couldn't get past Aksaray and cross the Tauras

mountains.  At some point, visibility went from zero to 300-400 meters,

far below the mandated 3 kilometers, but the helicopters made it to

Pozantı in Adana province.  Three helicopters from Aydın reached Adana

by a roundabout route via Antalya and the sea coast.

Initially, injured people were transported from Hatay, Kahramanmaraş,

Gaziantep and Adıyaman, while rescue and health teams were ferried

back to the earthquake zone.  Then people were evacuated from the 

region by Gendarmerie helicopters because there weren't enough airplanes.  

Helicopter pilots are only supposed to fly at night for 2.5 hours but that 

night all of the pilots, including the commander, flew 5-6 hours.

"Beat & Release": "Help!" Sign in the Snow Prompts Helicopter Rescue, in Kahramanmaraş

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 26 February 2023)

                        Translation: SOS (save our souls!)

A family stranded in their village home for three days during the recent

earthquake calamity wrote "Yardımet" (Help!) in the snow with their

feet.  This caught the attention of helicopter pilot Gendarmerie Col.

Aytekin Çakırerk, who landed and aided the elderly couple and two

children. 

The combination of the earthquake and snowfall has made it nearly

impossible to get aid to many villages in the affected area so provisions

have been transported by helicopters from the Gendarmerie General

Command's Aviation Directorate.   In Kahramanmaraş's Dulkadiroğlu

district a 4-person family was stranded in their home so they wrote the

"HELP!" sign in the snow in hope that a helicopter would see it.

They also built a fire so the smoke would call attention to their plight.

A Gendarmerie helicopter pilot, Col. Aytekin Çakırerk, saw the sign

and, after two descents, he succeeded in making a risky landing.  He

asked the family what they needed, flew back to Kahramanmaraş and

then returned with the requisite provisions.  

Col. Çakırerk explained that "the weather was making it hard to reach

the rural areas but we took the risk anyway and provided aid.  On my

way back I saw the "Yardımet" sign in the snow and noticed two homes

nearby where fires were burning to emit smoke signals.  Coming closer,

I saw an elderly man waving a Turkish flag.  It was a difficult place to

land but we did and got a list of needs from the family.  Within half

an hour we returned with the aid.  The family's house was undamaged.

I had seen the film "Help Me" but this was the real thing."

"Beat & Release": Malaysian General Returns to Aid Earthquake Victims 25 Years Later

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 February 2023)

                                         Payback

Many rescuers from around the world have come to the earthquake-

stricken region since 6 February.  One of them is Brigadier General

Amran Amır Hamzah of the Malaysian Army, who received medical

training at the Ankara Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) 25

years ago.  (!)

Right now, General Hamzah is caring for earthquake victims at a field

hospital set up by the Malaysian Army in Çelikhan district of Adıyaman

province.  He noted that "up to today we have treated 620 people.  I'm

paying back the debt I owe to Turkey and I'm very glad to be here."

General Hamzah first came to Turkey in 1989 for a Turkish language

course at the Army War Academy and started his training at GATA

the next year, finishing in 1998, when he returned to Malaysia.  He

recalled that "when I first came to Turkey I wouldn't finish all the 

bread given with a meal but over time I got used to it.  I love Turkish

food and when I was in Turkish language class I learned about Turkish

culture and music.  My favorite actor was Kemal Sunal and I listen

to Sezen Aksu, Mirkelam, İbrahim Tatlıses and Hülya Avşar."

"Beat & Release": Back to the Future - Maraş Earthquake of 1114 A.D. and Ancient Structures Undamaged

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 February 2023)

                                   That was then...

The historian Urfalı Mateos wrote about an earthquake that occurred in 

Kahramanmaraş, the center of the 6 February earthquakes, 909 years 

ago (!) in his diary: "I was suddenly awakened from a deep sleep by a 

horrific noise.  The ground vibrated violently, rocks were split and hills

cracked.  About 40,000 people died in Maraş.  The hills and mountains

screamed like live animals and waved from side to side like trees.  People

moaned like the deathly ill do and thought that Judgement Day had come."

The earthquake that Urfali Mateos lived through happened on 29 

November 1114 but Maraş experienced more earthquakes in 1513 and, 

again on 29 November, in 1795 (!).  The destroyed areas in Maraş in

1114 were those of the Franks, whereas there was no damage suffered

in the Moslem portions.  Many people died in Sis (today's Kozan) and

quite a number of villages and monasteries were destroyed.  That same

night in 1114, there was tremendous damage in Samusat (Samsat),

Hısnımansur (Adıyaman), Keysun, Raban, as well as in Maraş.  Right

after the earthquake, snow began to fall and the land was covered in

white. 

                                      ...this is now.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 February 2022)

                                  Built to last.

The 1,800-year-old Cendere Bridge built by the 16th Roman Legion 

in the time of Emperor Septimius Severius (192-211 A.D.) over the 

Cendere Stream in Kahta district of Adıyaman province, withstood

the 6 February earthquakes.  The bridge is 7 meters wide, 120

meters long and 30 meters above the stream and suffered absolutely

no damage on 6 February. (!) 

Similarly, there was no damage suffered at the tomb of women of

the Kommagene Kingdom family at the Karakuş Mound, where the

7.18-meter high Eagles Column, which King Mithradates (36-21 B.C.)

had built in memory of his wife İsias and sisters, remains intact.  

"Beat & Release": The Ground Was "Angry" That Day in Hatay but, Happily, Rabia Hanım Survived

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 22 February 2023)

Tough surname to carry around but it made her tough enough.

During the 6 February earthquake that was centered in Kahramanmaraş, 

the Öfkeli Apartımanı ("Öfkeli" means "angry"!) building in the Defne 

district of Hatay province collapsed.  Firefighters from Istanbul came to 

Defne and reached Rabia Öfkeli (26 and also "angry") in the building's 

rubble, saving her on the fifth day after the earthquake.  

Rabia hanım was taken to Istanbul for treatment at the Çapa Istanbul 

Medical School Hospital and her rescuers came to pay her a "get well

soon" visit yesterday, posting a photo on social media.  Unfortunately,

Rabia hanım's parents both died in the Öfkeli Apartımanı disaster. 

NOTE: Defne suffered direct hits in two more earthquakes in Hatay

on 20 February :(

"Beat & Release": Polish Chefs Cooking Greek "Moussaka" for Turkish Earthquake Victims, in Elbistan

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 February 2023)

       Michelin gave them five stars...and tires for the trip.

When members of a Polish aid organization heard about the earthquake

in Turkey they came in their own vehicles and with their own 

equipment to Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş province.  Now, they're 

providing three hot meals a day.  They asked the police what the 

people liked to eat and the answer was "moussaka". (!) 

Volunteer chefs from the Polish aid organization World Central Kitchen

(WCK) went to the Ukraine-Poland border when that war broke out

a year ago to provide hot food to those fleeing Ukraine.  When they

heard about the recent earthquake in Turkey, six WCK volunteers made 

the 3,183-kilometer trip to Turkey in their own vehicles and set up a 

kitchen at the Elbistan bus station. 

Polish chef Kamila Butowicz explained that "four days ago we came 

her by road from Poland and we've been serving hot soup and meals

three times a day.  Plus hot coffee!  We're obtaining the ingredients 

locally and police are helping us find vegetables, as well as telling us

what people here like to eat, including "moussaka". Based on the 

situation we think we'll be here for one or two months but we will 

stay as long as we're needed."  

                       Local culinary advisor Şahin bey.

Elbistan resident Şahin Yüksel (55) is helping the Polish chefs.  He

said that "I came one morning for tea and "börek" (pastry) but there

wasn't any left.  With gestures, I asked if I could help them.  At first

they said "no" but then they agreed so I help them as I sip my tea.

Right now, we're making "moussaka". 

      Elbistan is about 330 kilometers northeast of Adana.

"Beat & Release": With Two Flat Tires, "Crazy Turks" Delivered Earthquake Aid to Adıyaman

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 20 February 2023)

                   Dauntless "Crazy Turk" Road Warriors

In the aftermath of the 6 February earthquake, brothers Kaan and 

Batuhan Türkiyeli of Tokat loaded up their TIR (tractor-trailer), plate 

number 42 ALG 703, with shovels, water, wood and foodstuffs, and 

headed out toward the disaster zone on 8 February.   En route, two of 

their TIR's tires blew out but they decided to press on and (somehow) 

reached Adıyaman in 17 hours, becoming famous on social media as 

"Crazy Turks". (!) 

Kaan bey (39) explained that their TIR weighed 25 tons and that "118

kilometers from Golbaşı, Adıyaman, our first tire blew out and then 

the second one blew out 70 kilometers away.  Thanks to God, we 

reached our destination safely in 17 hours. We knew that our cause was

a just one.  Normally, when you get a flat tire you pull over to the side

of the road and wait.  God was watching over us and we did not relent."

Meanwhile, in Antakya, an architectural wonder was born...

with its rooftop birdhouse still intact. 

"Beat & Release": Earthquake Rubble's New Home - Abandoned Mine Pits

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 18 February 2023)

 

         No shortage of  "garbage cans" - 20,000 of these.

Planning about what to do with all the rubble resulting from the 

6 February earthquake has begun to take shape.  Officials from the

Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Ministry, the Energy

and Natural Resources Ministry and the Mines and Petroleum Affairs

General Directorate (MAPEG)  have met and inspected abandoned pit

mines in the area. 

The ministries' officials, together with experts from MAPEG, are thinking

of depositing the earthquake rubble in the empty mines, of which there are

about 20,000 (!) in the region.  Satellite photos are being examined to 

determine the size and capacity of the vacant mines and a list of those 

appropriate for receiving the rubble is being prepared. 

                               It's gotta go somewhere.

"Beat & Release": What's in a Name? Immortality! Girl Rescued after 248 Hours, in Kahramanmaraş

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 17 February 2023)

                                   A genuine immortal.

The Atabey Apartmanı building in the Kayabaşı neighborhood of 

Kahramanmaraş collapsed in the 6 February earthquake and yesterday 

morning hope of finding any more survivors was fading.  But then 

rescuers noticed a sign of life in the 248th hour and 11th day following 

the earthquake and reached Aleyna Ölmez (17 and whose surname

means "immortal" !).  

Miners who found Alayna used the "domuz damı" method employed in

mine collapses to get to her and after initial treatment by an UMKE 

(medics) team, Aleyna was taken to a hospital.  Feyim Orhan, a rescuer

from the Kocaeli Dilovası municipality, noted that "the first thing we 

heard was foot movement.  Then the professional miners came and

dug her out. "  

"Beat & Release": 3,600-year-old 'Moses Tree' Survived Earthquake, As Did Its Armenian neighbors, in Hatay

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 15 February 2023)

             There must be something in the water...

During last Monday's earthquake, there was no loss of life nor any 

injuries suffered in Vakıflı village populated entirely by Armenians

and located five kilometers from Samandağ in Hatay province.

The village was established during the Ottoman period and is home to

130 people.  Only the outer wall of Meryem Ana church, along with

the village school and some other homes and buildings, were damaged.

Berç Kartun, who has been the village chief of Vakıflı for 30 years noted

that "Musa Tree", which was declared a "tree monument" in 1981, 

and which is said to have been planted by Moses and nourished by

"immortal" water on its hilltop (!), survived, too.  "Musa Tree" is 

located in Hıdırbey village, 3 kilometers from Vakıflı, and none of the

structures there suffered any earthquake damage either.  

The tree, thought to be 3,600 years old, is on the slopes of Musa 

Mountain, which was the site of a WWI incident that saw Armenians

resist deportation by Ottoman authorities.  The Armenians were

rescued by a French warship and taken to Egypt. 

from Wikipedia: 

The deportation orders of the Armenian population of modern-day Turkey, 

issued by the Ottoman government, in July 1915 reached the six Armenian 

villages of the Musa Dagh region: Kabusia (Kaboussieh), Yoghunoluk, 

Bitias, Vakef, Kheter Bey (Khodr Bey) and Haji Habibli.^[3] As Ottoman 

Turkish forces converged upon the town, the populace, aware of the 

impending danger, refused deportation and fell back upon Musa mountain, 

thwarting assaults for fifty-three days, from July to September.

Allied warships, most notably the French 3rd Squadron in the 

Mediterranean under command of Vice Admiral Louis Dartige du 

Fournet, sighted the survivors just as ammunition and food provisions

were running out.^[6] Five French ships, beginning with the protected 

cruiser Guichen, under the command of Captain Jean-Joseph Brisson, 

evacuated 3,004 women and children and over 1,000 men from Musa 

Dagh to safety in Port Said.

"Beat & Release": Engineers and Architects' Buildings Intact - Why?, in Kahramanmaraş

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 February 2023)

                             "Built to last" and they did.

Social media is buzzing because of drone pictures taken of the middle of 

the earthquake devastation in Kahramanmaraş that show a building 

untouched by damage amid the ruins.   Actually, there are two such  

buildings situated close together- one is the TMMOB (Türk Mühendis ve 

Mimar Odaları Birliği - an association for engineers and architects)  

building and the other is the Mühendisleri Odası Şubesi (Chamber of

Construction Engineers Office). 

In other words, these two buildings were built properly, according to

strict specifications, and withstood the two earthquakes that shook the

city last Monday.  I (Hürriyet's Savaş Özbey) asked the TMMOB office 

chief Yunus Emre Kaçamaz, who lost his brother and his brother's fiancé 

in the tragedy, and whom I met in his building, about this "miracle" and 

he said "the devastation you see is the consequence of the 'strong joist-

weak column' construction logic that prevailed prior to the 1999 (Gölçük) 

earthquake, whereby the floors were built strong but the load-bearing 

columns were weak.  So in an earthquake, the heavy floors are too much 

for the columns to bear and they crash down on one another."

"After 2012, and again in 2020, modifications were made and now 

the standards are correct. The building we are sitting in and our neighbor,

the Construction Engineers Chamber building, were built by these

standards with proper iron, proper ground integration and proper

workmanship."

Buğra Dalkıran, the head of the Kahramanmaraş Construction Engineers

Chamber, told me that it was no "miracle" that the two buildings survived

intact, saying that "if a building is built according to standards it will 

survive.  Most of the collapsed buildings you see around you were built

in the 1990s and their cement quality is quite low."   I asked him about

the building contractors that have been arrested, wondering how much 

they save by cutting corners.  In response, he said that "the cost of the 

basic foundation of a building is about 35%-40% of the total cost.  If

you cut corners to save money you only end up with about 3%-5% 

less than you would have paid if you did it right. That's not much."

  

"Beat & Release": Looters Target Earthquake Ruins in Disaster Region

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 February 2023)

                            Nine inhumane disasters.

In the aftermath of the last Monday's earthquake, Turkish security forces 

are continuing their efforts against wild-eyed looters targeting empty

and damaged buildings, markets and even aid TIRs (tractor-trailers).  

According to the Justice Ministry, up to now, 57 people have been

arrested for looting and theft. 

In Hatay, police arrested 10 individuals and a search of them and 

their cars yielded 1 revolver, 11 bullets, 1 pump-action rifle, 1 cell

phone, 2 computers, 1 security camera, 2 grams of narcotics, 14,685 TL,

$1,700, 5 gold pieces.

At Istanbul Airport, police became suspicious of someone coming 

from the earthquake region on a THY flight.  The individual, named

Mehmet Kadir Umaç, had 112 emergency vests, along with computer

equipment belonging to the CE-KA Petrol company, which confirmed

to police that its earthquake-damaged gas station had been looted and

computers stolen.  Umaç was charged with "theft by taking advantage

of the fear and confusion caused by a natural disaster" and jailed.

Now offering 5-finger discounts!

"Beat & Release": 102 Hours Later, Family Rescued From Rubble in Iskenderun - "5 days felt like 5 years"

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 12 February 2023)

For 102 hours (!) nurse Helin Oktan (25) and her family hugged each 

other underneath the earthquake rubble of their home in Çay village in 

Hatay's Iskenderun district and were rescued.  Helin hanım is currently 

in a hospital in good condition.  She related that "we called out 

continuously for 48 hours, hoping someone would hear us.  But as time 

passed our hopes faded.  Then we heard someone say 'can anyone hear 

me?' and we knew we would be saved.  We came back from the precipice 

of death."

After 5 days under the rubble, rescuers reached Helin hanım, her 

parents Kadri and Yasemin, her sisters Zilan and Dilan and her brother

Arda and saved them all.   Helin hanım told Hürriyet that "we were 

sleeping and I felt a rocking. Waking up, I realized that there had been

an earthquake.  I called out to my family and we all gathered in one 

place. Then the ceiling came crashing down on us with a big bang.

We thought we'd be saved but time passed without rescue. In the end

5 days passed like 5 years.  We hugged each other during those 5 days

and this carried us through."

The rescuers at Helin hanım's home, the Arzu Apartımanı, came from 

Greece, Japan, Hungary and Uzbekistan, as well as from Turkish search 

and rescue units AFAD, Gendarmerie, security guards, AKÜT, İHH, 

and firefighters from various municipalities. 

Iskenderun is at the head of the gulf above Hatay on the map.

"Beat & Release": Builder of "Slice of Heaven" Collapsed Residence Caught Fleeing to Montenegro

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 February 2023)

                       Looks more like a slice of hell. 

The builder of the 250-unit Rönesans Rezidans building in Hatay that

collapsed in Monday's earthquake, Mehmet Yaşar Coşkun, has been 

arrested at Istanbul Airport as he was trying to flee to Montenegro.  

The Rönesans Rezidans on İnönü Boulevard in Hatay's Antakya district

was built in 2013 by the firm Antis Yapı and the 12-story building was

advertised as "a slice of heaven". (!)  It was one of the most expensive

places to live in Hatay but it could not withstand the earthquake and

collapsed.  There were more than 1,000 people living in the building at

the time of the earthquake and many of them remain under the rubble. 

Many postings about Antis Yapı have been circulating on social media.

Yesterday police received a tip that owner Coşkun was attempting to 

leave the country but he was arrested at Istanbul Airport carrying 

10,000 Euros in cash and a ticket to Montenegro. 

Rescue efforts at the Rönesans Rezidans building are continuing, while

hopeful relatives wait for word of their loved ones.  Yasemin Çinkaya (38)

was pulled alive from the rubble but her husband, oncologist Dr. Ahmet

Çinkaya (43), and their son and daughter all died.  

Just 11 days ago, Ayşe Çinkaya (70) came to visit her son and his family.

She told friends that "it hasn't even been a year since they moved here.  

They were living on the 8th floor.  They bought it thinking it was 'new

and sturdy'.  In fact, when I asked them 'why did you buy this house in 

an earthquake area?' they told me "we were told that it would withstand

a 9.0 earthquake." (!) 

"Beat & Release": 84 Hours Later, Family Stuck in Elevator Car Under Earthquake Rubble Rescued, in Elbistan

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Mynet.com website, 10 February 2023)

                   Sometimes you have to break the rules. 

After 84 hours (!) stuck in an elevator car under the rubble of Monday's 

earthquake, the Kılıç family of Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş 

province was rescued alive.  The family - father, mother and four 

children - lived in the 7-story Kübra apartment building.  As rescuers 

were combing through the debris they heard the family's cries and,

with great difficulty, dug out the elevator car and freed the family. 

"Beat & Release": Earthquake Victims' Social Media Teasers Arrested

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 February 2023)

                                 Kahramanmaraş

A victim of the earthquake that struck Kahramanmaraş on Monday sent

a message from his cell phone from underneath the rubble of a collapsed

building, pleading for help.  A sarcastic response posted on social media

teased "we're coming to save you" amid laughter. (!) 

That response on social media garnered widespread condemnation and 

it was determined that the culprits were Yunus Sarıdağ and Mesut B.,

prompting Burdur-Gölhisar prosecutor Merve Altun to have the two

taken into custody.  In her statement in this regard, Prosecutor Altun

wrote that "it may be that earthquake victims trapped under rubble 

will be unable to reach rescuers as their cell phone charge runs out.  

Here, the intention has been to increase the trauma of a person hoping

for help."  In its response, the court ordered the jailing of Sarıdağı and

Mesut B. 

                                 The joke's on him.

H.T.Ö., another individual who made fun of citizens trapped under 

earthquake rubble, was taken into custody in Istanbul but released 

after processing at a police station. 

"Beat & Release": Microchip ID's Ankara Cat, Now a Swiss Citizen

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 6 February 2023)

                 A chip that worked like a Swiss watch. 

In 2019, Martine Berset, a diplomat serving in the Swiss embassy in 

Ankara, opened her house to street cats and dogs.  Berset fed stray

animals on the street and brought mother cats and their new-born

kittens into her home.  In 2022, in accordance with a Turkish 

government order, she had ID chips attached to the cats but in March

of that year, three of the cats disappeared. 

In September 2022, Berset's tour at the embassy ended and she went

back to Switzerland with five cats.  In October, a cat that had been 

injured by a pack of dogs in Ankara's Elmadağ district was brought

to a veterinarian who read the chip and saw that the cat was "Erin",

one of Berset's three lost cats. 

Veterinarian Aydın Aksu, who put the chips on Berset's cats in the 

first place, contacted Berset with the news of Erin's discovery.  

Berset, now retired, came to Ankara from Switzerland in December

and brought Erin back with her to her country.  

                 We'll all be getting them pretty soon.