Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6 struck Türkiye on Monday, leading to thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries in Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay and Kilis. We fear that those numbers will continue to climb over the next few days. The Turkish people continue to pray that search and rescue teams, coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), will save all the affectees. In Türkiye, which just experienced the deadliest catastrophe since the Erzincan earthquake of 1939, public agencies, the military, municipalities, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and private citizens have joined forces to assist affected citizens in 10 provinces. As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “this is the day that 85 million people form a single heart and arm.” Meanwhile, dozens of countries have responded to Türkiye’s call for assistance to cope with the impact of the Level IV disaster. We are grateful to all foreign leaders who offered their condolences and aid. I experienced the 1999 earthquake in Adapazarı. I know how deeply helpless one feels while waiting amid destroyed buildings for people to be rescued. I have never forgotten how the countless aftershocks reminded us of that horrible chaos in the night, placing a heavy weight on our hearts. The generosity of fellow citizens, who hit the road to assist survivors, too, is among my most cherished memories. I also recall how long it took to heal from the trauma of that disaster. It was important for public agencies to respond swiftly to the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in terms of search and rescue efforts. As expected, Cabinet members oversaw operations in affected provinces. It was also noteworthy that the political establishment stood in solidarity at this difficult time. The effectiveness of Türkiye’s crisis management would be an outcome for which the entire country could take credit.

Rivalries must be set aside

Disasters represent significant tests. Sharing the pain of our citizens, whom the earthquake traumatized, and healing their wounds must be our top priorities. Keeping in mind that the disaster struck in the darkest days of winter, we need to focus on search-and-rescue efforts as well as housing arrangements. This is a time for the Turkish people to collectively manage this crisis. This is when we heal wounds and rebuild cities. In the face of such a major catastrophe, it is necessary to leave aside politics and rivalries. It was extremely hurtful to see some folks making accusations and analyzing the earthquake with politically-charged comments on social media. Obviously, we will discuss additional precautions that Türkiye, an earthquake-prone country, must take in the future. It goes without saying that the comprehensive and detailed transformations, which are already underway, are to be completed in Turkish cities. Nonetheless, I believe that those people, who turned the earthquake into a subject of ideological competition right away, suffer from a deep crisis of morality. May those, whom we have lost in the latest earthquakes, forever be in paradise. I wish a speedy recovery to the wounded. [Daily Sabah, February 09 2023]