A month after strong earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, Turkey’s public disaster management agency said the quake killed nearly 45,000 people in Turkey and more than 50,000 people in total. Portugal participated in the joint effort to find survivors.
One of the teams present was the SAR TEAM, a Civil Protection volunteer organization. heard by TSFFrancisco Rocha, the team’s commander, acknowledges that, despite the catastrophe, a certain evolution could be seen in crisis management compared to other theaters of operations.
“No country is prepared for such a situation, but [a Turquia] He was prepared to receive the international response, no doubt. Things happened that did not happen in other countries, and that are written in the response models, for example: the international teams arrived at the Istanbul airport and all received a SIM card with internet and unlimited calls so that the teams could communicate within the country We always had a translator accompanying our team and a liaison officer guaranteeing military security, so we never felt insecure,” he explains to TSF Francisco Rocha.
The operation highlights that the search and rescue experience in Turkey was enriching.
“For us it turned out to be a good experience in the operational part, and a good experience of being able to take effect and have managed to get only one victim alive, which is very significant for international teams. We made a difference and got a lot of praise from the Turkish government itself. It is gratifying for the team, although it was an unpleasant situation for the country, ”he comments.
Still, Francisco Rocha says that Turkey and Syria now have a long way to go: “Trying to clear the rubble and, during that clearing, trying to do everything possible to recover the bodies that were not found.”
“After all that, the recovery phase of the city itself begins. The latest figures point to 16,000 collapsed buildings, we are talking about a catastrophe on a gigantic scale, ”he adds.
Source: TSF
