The earth shook
Turkey is in shock. The flags are flying at half-mast. Thousands lost their lives, their livelihoods, relatives, friends.
Turkey is in shock. The flags are flying at half-mast. Thousands lost their lives, their livelihoods, relatives, friends. I myself did not notice the earthquake. Istanbul was safe. But there are already warnings of a major quake in Istanbul, too.[:] The worry is palpable here. Everywhere in the restaurants, the news is on continuous loop. The country is in mourning.
But the earthquake is not without political consequences. Funds intended for earthquake safety seem to have seeped away in many places. Relief supplies and equipment for the rescue forces are missing. The corruption of the last few years is now taking its toll. Among the collapsed houses were also new, supposedly earthquake-proof buildings. Often, low-quality sand or too little cement was used in construction to save money. Construction companies preferred to put the money in their own pockets instead of building a safe building. Authorities look the other way for a few lira. Controls are lacking. Trials literally run in the sand. To cover up these abuses, Twitter and the Chinese spy software TikTok, among others, are currently not fully accessible to the local population in Turkey.
But what can I do?
Not much. That is the sad truth. Donations help. But beware! Islamist and very conservative to right-wing extremist associations use the favour of the hour to enrich themselves. Donations in kind from Germany make only limited sense. It simply takes too long for them to arrive here. Moreover, the population here also donates a lot. I can only advise against donations to religious or political organisations. Also, some organisations are only active in Turkey or Syria. Therefore, here are a few safe places to start from my point of view: