In Syria and Turkey, rescuers looked for survivors. First responders flew in from around the world to help. Trained dogs sniffed out survivors’ scents. Still, saving lives was hard.  

    In natural disasters like earthquakes, rescuers must act fast. The chance of finding survivors is highest in the first 24 hours. But the rescue teams faced many obstacles right away. 

    Broken concrete and twisted metal covered roads. Electricity had been knocked out in many places. Temperatures fell below freezing. Snow piled up on top of the wreckage.

    In Syria, the earthquake made a terrible situation worse. A civil war has been happening there for more than 12 years. Many people were already without clean water, good shelter, and food. Getting aid to them was even harder after the quake.

    In Syria and Turkey, rescuers started looking for survivors right away. First responders flew in from around the world to help. Specially trained dogs were used to sniff out survivors’ scents. Still, saving lives was a challenge.  

    In natural disasters like earthquakes, the chance of finding survivors is highest in the first 24 hours, so rescuers must act fast. Unfortunately, rescue teams in Syria and Turkey faced many obstacles right away. 

    Roads were covered in broken concrete and twisted metal, and in many areas, electricity had been knocked out. Temperatures were also quickly falling below freezing. Soon snow piled up on top of the wreckage.

    In Syria, where a civil war has been happening for more than 12 years, the earthquake made a terrible situation even worse. Many people were already without clean water, good shelter, and food. Getting aid to them was even harder after the quake.

    Thankfully, rescue teams in both countries were not working alone. Neighbors came together to cook and hand out food. Around the globe, communities helped raise money. 

    One Middle Eastern grocery store in Massachusetts collected clothing, medical supplies, and blankets. It was able to send more than 12 truckloads of goods to earthquake victims. “When you see people suffering, it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are,” says volunteer Valentina Akyol. “If we can help in some way, that is what we should do.”

    Thankfully, rescue teams were not working alone. Neighbors came together to cook and hand out food. Around the globe, communities helped raise money. 

    One Middle Eastern grocery store in Massachusetts collected clothing, medical supplies, and blankets. It sent more than 12 truckloads of goods to earthquake victims. “If we can help in some way, that is what we should do,” says Valentina Akyol, a volunteer.

    Thankfully, rescue teams in both countries were not working alone. Neighbors came together to cook and hand out food, and communities around the globe worked to raise money. 

    One Middle Eastern grocery store in Massachusetts collected clothing, medical supplies, and blankets and was able to send more than 12 truckloads of goods to earthquake victims. “When you see people suffering, it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are,” explains volunteer Valentina Akyol. “If we can help in some way, that is what we should do.”

    In the days after the earthquake, rescue workers were able to find 8,000 survivors in Turkey alone. Taha and his family were among them. They were saved by neighbors who dug them out using tools and their bare hands. 

    Recovering from the earthquake will take years. Experts guess that there was nearly $40 billion in damage across both countries. Millions of survivors have lost their homes. 

    Right now, many are living in tents and container homes (similar to trailers). And they’re taking life one day at a time. That includes Taha. In his video, he said: “If I get out of here alive today, there are many things I want to do.” 

    Thanks to the neighbors who saved him, he still can. 

    In the days after the quake, rescue workers found 8,000 survivors in Turkey. Taha and his family were among them. Neighbors saved them. The neighbors dug them out using tools and their bare hands. 

    Recovering from the earthquake will take years. Experts guess that there was nearly $40 billion in damage across both countries. Millions of people lost their homes. 

    Many are living in tents and container homes (similar to trailers). They’re taking life one day at a time. That includes Taha. In his video, he said: “If I get out of here alive today, there are many things I want to do.” 

    Thanks to the neighbors who saved him, he still can. 

    In the days after the earthquake, rescue workers were able to find 8,000 survivors in Turkey alone. Taha and his family were saved by neighbors who dug them out using tools and their bare hands. 

    Recovering from the earthquake will take years. Experts guess that there was nearly $40 billion in damage across both countries. Millions of survivors have lost their homes. 

    Right now, many are living in tents and container homes (similar to trailers), and they’re taking life one day at a time. That includes Taha. In his video, he said: “If I get out of here alive today, there are many things I want to do.” 

    Thanks to the neighbors who saved him, he still can.