“An earthquake in Istanbul may happen in a year, or maybe tomorrow”

Tremors continue in Turkey. Rescuers, meanwhile, leave the affected regions.

Russian doctor Yana Vlasova worked 5 days in Adiyaman. Now she keeps in touch with rescuers in Khatai.

About what happens at the crash site and why rescuers burn out emotionally – in the material “MK”.

After a powerful earthquake in Khatai, we asked Yana Vlasova to find out about the situation there. “I will contact the guys and ask how they are,” Yana promised.

After some time, the rescuers sent her a brief report: “It shocked me from Thursday to Friday, yes. On Friday 10 am, there was also a strong push. But everything that could collapse has already collapsed. There is nothing more to fall.”

– It seems that the rescuers calmly react to shocks?

– In those regions shakes every day. Two or three aftershocks of magnitude 4-4.5 occur per day. When I worked at the ruins, I saw frightened people running down the street and shouting: “Earthquake”. But I didn’t feel anything. A crane, a bulldozer work at the facilities, concrete is crushed there. Apparently, therefore, the rescuers do not particularly feel the shocks. For people who are clearing the rubble there for the second week, aftershocks have become familiar. One of my friends lives in a village in the same region. So she says that the tremors go on all the time, now she only listens to them, has learned how to somehow determine their strength. The main thing is that people are not used to it at all. Because if there is a real earthquake, the locals may perceive it as a normal push and will not protect themselves.

– Why are the rescuers leaving Hatay?

– Because the situation on the sites is emotionally tense. There are constant fights, there have been incidents with firearms, people are afraid for their lives.

Some members of our team have been working there since day one. Guys on the edge. At first, many were inspired when they began to find living people. And then the guys found out that these survivors were dying in the hospital. The victims spent so many days under the rubble that they could not cope with the psychological shock. Even those who did not have mortal wounds died. Rescuers from such news are very difficult.

In addition, they are deprived of medical care. I asked those who work in Khatai, is there at least some paramedic attached to them? It turns out there is no one. Ambulances come to them only when the guys find alive under the rubble. That’s when the guys can ask the doctors to treat their wounds.

Now there are many bans in the affected areas. Those people who live in tent camps were forbidden to take medicines from volunteers. So if we go to those parts, we will take medicines to the villages. Entry rules are tightened, photography is prohibited. Only Turkish citizens are allowed to work on the rubble.

According to the interlocutor, the situation in Gaziantep is getting better. Factories have started working there, people are coming back to life. In Besni, the townspeople were recently brought financial aid.

– But Adiyaman, Kahramanmarash and Hatay remain our pain, – Yana adds. – In 1999 there was a powerful earthquake in Izmit. The money left after that disaster was set aside in case of another powerful earthquake. But, apparently, the funds were spent on something. Now the state collects money from ordinary people, through SMS, TV, actors organize help and the like.

– What is the situation with refugees?

– Hoteliers on the coast can not cope with the influx of refugees. Acquaintances from Kemer say that as soon as the tourist season begins, people will be asked to vacate the hotels. And where will they go? When earthquake victims are now offered to live away from the sea, they refuse, because the sea is relatively safe. There are few refugees in Istanbul, but no one wants to go there. People are afraid that a new earthquake will happen in the capital, which has been talked about a lot lately. When it happens, no one can say for sure – maybe in a year, maybe in three, or maybe tomorrow. Now the whole of Turkey is in anticipation of something terrible.