To experience an earthquake in your city as an ordinary person is a bitter experience, and to be Syrian makes it even more bitter.
The earthquake occurred on February 6th, 2023, and I consider myself one of the survivors. The earthquake happened suddenly, without warning, and what made it more terrifying was that it happened at dawn when people were asleep. It was like a long nightmare, and the earth shook. We heard the terrifying sound of the earth, which I still can't describe. People reacted differently after the shock. Some ran away, and others didn't have time to run. Their warm house walls were more deadly than they expected and collapsed on them.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8, but it's not measured by numbers; it's measured by the screams of frightened children and women, by moments of panic, fear, death, and loss. When you're in the heart of the earthquake, you won't think about what magnitude it is on the Richter scale. All you'll think about is how to survive with your family. And what you fear most is that your house walls will betray you.
After 20 days of the earthquake, which still accompanies us today with aftershocks that prevent us from forgetting it and raise anxiety in people's minds, we live with large images of the tragedy. As a nation, we don't know how to deal with it. The tragedy fades in our unconsciousness because of our attempt to regain balance, but despite ignoring the pain that is squeezing our hearts, it remains present and affecting us.
After the earthquake, more than 50,000 victims and millions of affected people in Syria and Turkey, and many earthquake victims are still receiving medical treatment, while neutrality still looms over the grieving homes.
The Syrians...
The Syrians experienced this disaster with all its bitterness, and they felt abandoned, as if the death of a Syrian was a natural thing that the world had become accustomed to.
The Syrians experienced this disaster and endured the racism that was directed towards them, as well as the racist crimes committed against them by the media and many Turkish racists. Just imagine that some Turks said that the Syrians were the cause of the earthquake, and many Syrians were subjected to attacks by Turkish racists.
The Syrians experienced this disaster and suffered from the exploitation of their suffering and pain by states to pass their own political projects, ignoring over 12 years of suffering and a million and a half martyrs.
Perhaps the earthquake has ended and will not return soon, but the suffering has not ended. The Syrians are suffering, and the reason for their suffering is known to everyone, a person who smiles and stands on the ruins of a house that collapsed on a little girl who asks for help.
The psychological and social effects of what happened in the past years are significant, and we have not been able to overcome them until today. What made the bitterness worse is this earthquake that we have not yet figured out how to overcome.
There is some light in this darkness,
All the white hands that dug through the rubble to find a beating heart that seeks life, they are the civil defense and all those who volunteered.
And the white hearts who rushed to work to help the survivors, they are the organizations and local teams who worked like a beehive to respond and alleviate the pain.
After the earthquake, there were more than 50,000 victims and millions of people affected in Syria and Turkey. Many earthquake victims are still receiving medical treatment, and neutrality still hangs over the grieving homes.
The Syrians...
The Syrians experienced this disaster with all its bitterness, feeling abandoned and as if the death of a Syrian was a natural occurrence that the world had become accustomed to.
The Syrians experienced this disaster with the racism directed towards them and the racist crimes committed against them by the media and many Turkish racists. Just imagine that some Turks said that the Syrians were the cause of the earthquake, and many Syrians were subjected to attacks by Turkish racists.
The Syrians experienced this disaster with the exploitation of the suffering and pain of the people by countries to push their own political projects, ignoring more than 12 years of suffering and one and a half million martyrs.
Perhaps the earthquake has ended and will not return soon, but the suffering has not ended. The Syrians are still suffering, and the cause of their suffering is a person who smiles and stands on the ruins of a house that collapsed on a child who seeks help.
The psychological and social effects of what happened in the past years are significant, and we have not been able to overcome them to this day. What made the bitterness worse was this earthquake that we still do not know how to overcome.
There is a glimmer of light in this darkness,
All the white hands that dug through the rubble searching for a beating heart seeking life and those are the civil defense and all who volunteered.
And the white hearts who rushed to help the survivors, the organizations and local teams who worked like a beehive to respond and alleviate the pain.
The volunteers, as if the entire people volunteered, felt that those who were not affected had a responsibility towards this disaster, so people volunteered. Some volunteered for rescue, and some volunteered to deliver food and basic necessities, and there are many ways to work and help. And those who could not volunteer did so by praying.
The last light is the donors who gave and supported without waiting for thanks and praise, and they are few countries and many individuals.
Perhaps the earthquake has ended, but the suffering has not ended...
By: Maher Daboul
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