– It is very difficult, and I am sorry that I cannot help, says Ziad Mohammed Alhassan. He is the head of the Syrian Association in Southern Norway, and has settled with his wife and children in Kristiansand. After the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey on the night of Monday, the family has lost many people they are happy with. – 27 from my family have died, says Alhassan. They are said to have died in the city of Idlib, where entire neighborhoods have been razed to the ground. There, the rescue workers are still fighting a desperate battle to rescue survivors from the ruins, while it is winter and cold. Afraid of being forgotten At the same time, Alhassan sits and waits for answers to what has happened to others he knows. He is afraid that Syria will be forgotten. – People need help, and we feel that there is not enough help. He himself has been sent videos and messages from the family affected by the earthquake. – People use their own hands because they don’t have machines to help them. They only send the aid to Turkey, he says. This video was sent to Ziad Mohammed Alhassan from Idlib. It will show a family member being rescued from the ruins. Difficult to come to terms with – We have feared that the result of this earthquake would have even greater humanitarian consequences for Syria than Turkey. That’s according to Trude Falck, section leader for the Middle East in Norwegian People’s Aid. She says Alhassan’s frustration is very understandable. According to Falck, more than ten countries have made emergency resources available to assist with the clearing of ruins in Turkey. But the war in Syria makes it difficult for aid organizations to get in there. – Compared to Turkey, which receives massive international aid during this disaster, Syria does not receive it in the same way. Falck believes that the most effective thing is to support organizations that are already in Syria, as Norwegian People’s Aid has been doing for a long time. – It is the white helmets and the civil defense in Syria who clean up. They mostly use shovels, picks and hands. Bulldozers and machines are almost non-existent in the area. – I think it is important that actors who are on the ground get resources, she says. Can’t live as normal Turkey and Syria were hit by a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the night of 6 February. Later that morning, another earthquake was triggered. This time with a strength of 7.5. So far, over 7,300 people have been confirmed dead. The WHO fears that the death toll could be much higher. In Kristiansand, everyday life continues for the Alhassan family, but their thoughts constantly turn to their homeland. – We Syrians cannot live normally anymore when we know how difficult it is for them in Syria and that people have died, says the eldest son in the family, Mohammed.
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– 27 from my family have died – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
