'Still many people in the rubble': Victoria man worries for family after devastating Turkiye earthquakes
A Victoria man says a series of devastating earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria have left him feeling nearly paralyzed, as the death toll from the quakes rises above 6,200 people.
In a span of 10 hours, Turkiye saw more than 30 earthquakes, according to Victoria man Kemal Evci, most of them around magnitude-6.0
The first earthquake occurred Monday and registered at magnitude 7.8. Around nine hours later, a second large quake measured magnitude 7.5.
Evci says his family members, who live in a town about two hours away from the initial earthquake's epicenter, are safe.
However, roads across the country have been severely damaged, and the only way to get in and out of his hometown is by air.
"At first I received a text message that said, 'We are fine,'" Evci told CTV News on Tuesday.
"I was so worried, even before asking them I just Googled what's happening in Turkiye and in my hometown," he said.
Even though his immediate family is uninjured, he says he's concerned about their access to food and shelter. He notes that temperatures are frigid and that the region has seen snowfall leading up to the quakes.
"Eighty per cent of the buildings in the city centre of my hometown are gone," said Evci.
"There are still many people in the rubble," he added.
He says he reached out to other friends and family members in the hours following the earthquakes.
"One of my friends was actually in the rubble when he was texting me," he said. The friend was able to escape the wreckage of the earthquake, as was Evci's aunt, who also managed to crawl out of a collapsed building.
"Even my aunt who got out of the rubble, she had issues with her back getting out, and she couldn't get [medical] help because people were dying in hospitals," he said.
Victoria man Kemal Evci, whose friends and family were caught in the earthquakes in Turkiye, is shown. (CTV News)
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Evci notes that many hospitals were damaged in the earthquake, as were some airports and roads, making it difficult for emergency supplies and personnel to travel across the country.
Internet and cell service is also spotty following the natural disaster.
Between a lack of emergency services, a lack of shelter, limited food and water, and chilly weather, Evci says many people in Turkiye are "just trying to survive."
Anyone interested in donating money to support earthquake relief efforts can do so at a charity organization called AHBAP, which Evci says is reputable.
'WAKE UP CALL'
Evci, who has been living in Canada for more than three years, says the devastating earthquakes should be a "wake up call" for British Columbians, especially those who live on the coast along the Cascadia subduction zone.
He says B.C.'s health-care system would not be able to cope with a natural disaster on the scale that Turkiye has just seen.
Individuals should also have preperations for if a natural disaster strikes, like having food and water available, Evci recommends.
"If this started on the other side of the world, I'm sure it's going to happen in other places too," he said.
Evci says he's unsure what the next steps are for his family in Turkiye, both in the short term and in the long term.
"Psychologically, I'm not sure how they're going to recover," he said. "I felt an earthquake once, it was a 6.1, and it took months for me to recover and feel safe at home."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.