Vancouver man waits to hear if uncle survived Turkey earthquakes

A Vancouver man from a province in Turkey, that’s been one of the hardest hit by a deadly earthquake, is waiting to find out if his uncle made it out of the rubble.

Batuhan Ozer grew up in Hatay, one of the Turkish provinces hit the hardest by the 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that destroyed parts of Turkey and Syria Monday.

His immediate family escaped the region, but he says his uncle has been buried under the rubble for three days, and still hasn’t been found.

“I’m not feeling good because I can’t help my family. I’m just helping them, reaching out. My friends go, please help my family. This is all I can do. And when they feel safe, I will connect with them to go to Turkey to visit and see them,” Ozer explained.

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The Turkish Consul General estimates that there are over 7,000 Turkish Canadians living in BC, and many have been volunteering and donating goods to help survivors. At a warehouse at 580 Industrial Avenue in Vancouver, hundreds of people have been packing boxes full of supplies like winter clothes to be flown to Turkey and they say they plan to send three shipments per week for as long as the need exists.

“What we understand is that more than maybe 10,000 buildings have collapsed in Turkey. So, trying to have people rescued is one aspect. The ones who survived – and keeping them alive in the cold weather conditions – is another aspect of this.” said Taylan Tokmak, the Turkish Consul General in Vancouver. “If we can bring, from here, supplies and tents, blankets, sleeping bags, it will be very helpful. Also, on top of that, of course, we need baby formula, baby diapers and hygienic pads, those sorts of things. And we just received today’s medical supplies list.”

The Consul General encourages Vancouverites to donate what they can, and money can be sent to AFAD, the Turkish disaster and emergency management ministry, or the Canadian Red Cross.

Ozer has a message for other Vancouverites like him, struggling to watch their families recover from the natural disaster.

“Please don’t lose your hope. We will save our families. We will save our friends and all our cities will be back together. Please help us, please,” he said.