At 6am, on Monday 6 February 2023, De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) Fashion Design student Mine Yeter’s life changed forever.
Two major earthquakes - measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the magnitude scale – had struck across south east Turkey and northern Syria, killing tens of thousands of people.
The epicentre of the bigger of the two earthquakes was on the edge of the city of Gaziantep, Mine’s home town. Much of what Mine knew about this historic city of two million people had partially disappeared in a matter of minutes. So, she later found out, had some relatives and friends.
Mine (pronounced mee-na), with the support of nine other Turkish students at DMU, have taken the step to talk about the effects of the devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that destroyed 10 major cities, so fellow students, academics and staff have a better understanding of the horrors that millions are contending with in the aftermath.
They are also appealing for everyone to donate whatever amount of money they can to ensure rescuers, medics, food and warm clothing reach the affected areas in Turkey and Syria.
First year Computer Science students Eylul Ozdemir, Hasibe Genc, Efekan Yuksel and Selmiss Con Ozmen, final year Law student Nurcan Nas, Interior Design student Mina Ertugrul, Digital Marketing master’s student Can Ali Isik and International Business Management master’s student Yasin Aygun – who graduates next week - let Mine talk on their behalf. They all have similar stories.
Mine said: “We all know a lot of people who have died and we are all in such shock.
“It is difficult when you hear that close family are safe. It sounds strange, but are you supposed to be happy for the people who are alive or in mourning for the people who died? It is really confusing.
“My friend died two days ago and each day there are more updates of people not surviving.
“I try to live my life normally but I do not feel alive inside. You see things like this happen to other people. You never think it will be you or your family.
“If I think too much about the devastation and what is happening now, then I will probably lose my mind.
“My life feels like it is ruined. It all feels pointless. But you have to stay strong and the best you can do is get together like we are and find ways to help.”
Mine and the DMU Turkish community are in the process of forming a Turkish Society and stand at a stall in the De Montfort Students’ Union each day to talk to people about what has happened and why the people of Turkey and Syria need our help.
Mine said: “When the earthquake hit we were cut off from our families. We could not contact anyone. What do we assume? Are they under the rubble? Are they even alive? There was no contact at all.
“Transport was held up. The roads and even the airports were destroyed. Some people waited more than 72 hours for help to reach them and there are still people in surrounding towns and villages who have been cut off and cannot be reached.
“People are too frightened to travel and leave their cities People outside the cities struggle to reach them. It is just horrible.
“I speak to my relatives and ask if they need money and they say they have money but they struggle to find places to spend it. Not very many places are open and people are too scared to venture very far. Everyone has to think about their own lives.
“If help comes, they will get food. Fifteen people in my family all have cash with them but they had three pieces of bread to share for a day – and they were very grateful to have it. Thankfully with the support of the government and charity foundations they now receive a food supply.
“If people do not die because of the earthquake they die because of the freezing weather. There are stories of bodies being recovered with not a scratch on them but they have frozen to death.
"My friends are dying and I do not know how many people in my family have died as I am too scared to find out.
“It is so horrible. Life seems so normal here at DMU and yet I know it is not normal in Turkey.
“When I go back to my city in the future it will not be my city any more. It has been destroyed beyond recognition and will never be what it was.
“We have sent three planes full of essentials like nappies and clothing. They are things people need.
“I can hear the hopelessness in the voices of my relatives.
“Do the survivors stay where they are or do they try and go somewhere else? They cannot go to the outskirts of the country because it is by the sea. What if there is a tsunami? People cannot leave the cities because nowhere is safe and nobody wants to leave family behind.”
Mine and her friends says the best way to help is donate cash to charities.
“Money is the fastest way to get help to the millions who need it,” she explained. “Clothes are just piling up because there is limited resources to distribute and to collect them and take them to the affected cities. The airports are overwhelmed with donations and this is also the situation in Turkey as facilities are limited in distributing the cargos.
“The safest way and most effective way to help is to donate money.”
There are many international organisations that you can donate to, including:
Nurcan added: “We are so appreciative of the international support that Turkey is receiving but more donations are needed. Just £1 is the equivalent of 22 Turkish lira and that can feed someone for a day. £4 can buy a blanket for someone in the affected region.”
Posted on Monday 13 February 2023