‘Nothing left’: Why a Canadian woman is pleading for help after Turkey’s earthquake | 24CA News

Toronto resident Mercan Kismetli was placing her youngsters to sleep on Sunday night time when a large earthquake struck her hometown in Turkey.

After seeing the news on TV {that a} 7.8-magnitude earthquake had ripped by way of Turkey and neighbouring Syria, she frantically began making calls to her family within the tiny city of Pazarcik.

Kismetli, 30, mentioned it’s a miracle that almost all of her family members — grandparents, aunts, uncles and their youngsters — are even alive, however they’ve “nothing left.”

“They were able to get up and run out with nothing,” the Turkish-Canadian lady mentioned.

“All their house(s) (are) right now garbage and they are outside.”

Her mother’s cousin and husband died, whereas their son received trapped below the home.

The southern city of Pazarcik, which has a inhabitants of roughly 35,000, is among the worst-affected areas hit by the catastrophic quake and a collection of aftershocks. It was near the epicentre, Gaziantep.

It has been three days for the reason that quake hit the area. Rescue groups from world wide are arduous at work in each Turkey and Syria making an attempt to drag out any survivors from below the rubble. The demise toll on Thursday surpassed 19,000 and retains climbing.

With hundreds now homeless, assist is pouring in. Millions of {dollars} have been pledged by nations, together with Canada, which has dedicated to sending $10 million.

Kismetli says her household needed to wait for 3 days with none meals or water earlier than assist lastly arrived in Pazarcik.

Her cousin advised her they’re staying of their vehicles to remain heat, however there’s no heating as a result of the battery ran out. Communication can be scarce as they don’t have any electrical energy to cost their telephones.

“They have no shelter, they have nothing, they have no food, they have no heat, so I’m just concerned that they can stay alive at this point.”

Their struggling is consuming up Kismetli, who says she will’t do a lot sitting in her Toronto residence apart from ship cash or give ethical help.

“I can’t drink water because I know maybe they don’t have it,” she mentioned tearfully. “I feel bad living in this house right now because they don’t have a house.”

2:00Nova Scotia household fearful about family members in Turkey after lethal earthquake

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned Wednesday that the federal authorities will match donations Canadians make to the Red Cross, as much as $10 million. Ottawa has additionally deployed a catastrophe evaluation staff to Turkey to find out how Canada can contribute to earthquake aid efforts.

“A lot of Canadians have their origins or family members in that region — I think particularly of all the Syrian refugees who’ve come to Canada over the past years to build a life who must be so worried about loved ones and families back home,” Trudeau mentioned strolling right into a caucus assembly in Ottawa on Wednesday.

“We’re going to be there to help.”

Kismetli, who moved to Canada on the age of 9 along with her mother and father and siblings, needs the federal government to assist carry her different family right here.

“We want Canada to help us. We want them to come here because they have nothing left.”

Kismetli visited Pizarcik final summer time and was wanting ahead to going once more this 12 months.

With a lot of the city now destroyed from the earthquake, rebuilding might take years.

“I don’t think we will be able to go to this summer,” mentioned Kismetli.

— with recordsdata from Global News’ Rachel Gilmore.

Corus Entertainment, the dad or mum firm of Global News, is supporting the Humanitarian Coalition in its attraction to assist victims of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Donations might be made on-line. 

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.