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Hope Among The Ruins

Earlier this year, a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, two countries in the Middle East. Thousands of people lost their lives—but thousands more came together to help survivors.

May 2023

by Alex Lim-Chua Wee

Mehmet Mucahit Ceylan/AP Images

Taha Erdem and his parents lived through the deadly earthquake.

It was just past 4 a.m. on February 6. Taha Erdem, 17, woke to a sudden shake.

He went to alert his family, who were asleep in the next room. But before he could, the floor beneath him began to break.

Within seconds, Taha’s apartment was collapsing—and pulling Taha down with it. Soon he was trapped. Pieces of the roof and walls had piled on top of him.

Taha heard people screaming. He didn’t know if his parents or siblings were still alive. Terrified, he began to record a video on his phone. He described what was happening and expressed his love for his family.

His hope was that someone would find the video if he didn’t survive.

It was February 6. It was just past 4 a.m. A sudden shake woke Taha Erdem, 17.

He went to warn his family. They were sleeping in the next room. But the floor beneath him began to break.

Within seconds, Taha’s apartment was collapsing. It pulled Taha down with it. Soon he was trapped under pieces of the roof and walls.

Taha heard people screaming. Were his parents and siblings still alive? He didn’t know. Terrified, he recorded a video with his phone. He described what was happening. He expressed his love for his family.

He hoped that someone would find the video if he didn’t survive.

Just past 4 a.m. on February 6, Taha Erdem, 17, woke to a sudden shake.

He went to alert his family, who were asleep in the next room. But the floor beneath him began to break before he reached them.

Within seconds, Taha’s apartment was collapsing—and pulling Taha down with it. Soon he was trapped by pieces of the roof and walls that had piled on top of him.

His hope was that someone would find the video if he didn’t survive.

PAUSE AND THINK: Why did Taha make a video on the morning of February 6?

Day of Disaster

Jim McMahon/Mapman ®

The earthquake struck near the border of two countries: Syria and Turkey.

On February 6, a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey. Those are two countries in the Middle East, an area near the Mediterranean Sea. The earthquake lasted just 75 seconds. Yet it wiped out entire towns and city blocks. Experts recorded it as a 7.8 magnitude quake—the strongest to hit the area in nearly 100 years.

Buildings crumbled. Schools and shopping centers were destroyed. Cars were crushed. Nearly 50,000 people were killed, and thousands more were injured. The disaster was the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than 10 years.

Taha lived in Adiyaman, Turkey. It was one of the cities hardest hit by the quake.

Like Taha, many people became trapped—and were unsure if they would ever be found.

On February 6, a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey. Those are two countries in the Middle East. That’s an area near the Mediterranean Sea. The earthquake lasted just 75 seconds. Yet it wiped out entire towns and city blocks. Experts recorded it as a 7.8 magnitude quake. It was the strongest to hit the area in nearly 100 years.

Buildings crumbled. Cars were crushed. Nearly 50,000 people were killed. Thousands more were injured. It was the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than 10 years.

Taha lived in Adiyaman, Turkey. It was hit hard by the quake.

Like Taha, many people became trapped. They didn’t know if anyone would find them.

On February 6, a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey—two countries in the Middle East, an area near the Mediterranean Sea. The earthquake lasted just 75 seconds, yet it wiped out entire towns and city blocks. Experts recorded it as a 7.8 magnitude quake—the strongest to hit the area in nearly 100 years.

Buildings crumbled, schools and shopping centers were destroyed, and cars were crushed. Nearly 50,000 people were killed, and thousands more were injured. The disaster was the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than 10 years.

Taha lived in Adiyaman, Turkey, which was one of the cities hit hardest by the quake.

Like Taha, many people became trapped—and were unsure if they would ever be found.

PAUSE AND THINK: What kind of damage did the earthquake cause?

Rushing to the Rescue

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, rescuers must act fast. The chance of finding survivors is highest in the first 24 hours. Unfortunately, rescue teams faced many obstacles right away.

Roads were covered in broken concrete and twisted metal. 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, the earthquake made a terrible situation even 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 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 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.

PAUSE AND THINK: Why is it important for rescue workers to work quickly?

Coming Together

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.”

PAUSE AND THINK: What did people do to help the earthquake victims?

Rebuilding

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.

PAUSE AND THINK: Where are many earthquake survivors now living?

Build Knowledge

What Is an Earthquake?
Earth’s crust, or rocky outer layer, is broken into large pieces of rock called tectonic plates. An earthquake happens when these plates suddenly slip. This causes the ground to move and shake.