Earthquake in Turkey and Syria | In Montreal, assistance to victims is organized

After the shock, the takeover. Two days after the earthquake that killed at least 7,800 people in Turkey and Syria, international aid is being organized and put in place. In the metropolis, hundreds of people flocked to the Turkish Community Center in Montreal on Tuesday evening to lend a hand.

“It’s extremely touching and it warms the heart,” says Mehmet Kocabas, a Montrealer of Turkish origin who has lived in Canada since the age of 5. Behind him, dozens of people are busy delivering clothes, bedding, lifesaving equipment or non-perishable food.

All these resources will be channeled to Istanbul. “There are direct flights between Montreal and Istanbul three times a week. And with Turkish Airlines, there is cargo space reserved exclusively for sending humanitarian aid. Everything that’s already left will be on tomorrow night’s flight. Then, on Thursday, it will arrive in Turkey, to be distributed on Friday,” summarizes Mr. Kocabas.

The dentist by profession, a good part of whose family still resides in Turkey, says he is “moved to see so many people from various communities come to lend a hand to the Turkish people”. “For all of us, there’s a sense of urgency,” he says. It’s very cold right now in Turkey, so the risk of hypothermia or death is great, and not just for the people who are under the rubble, but also for all those who are on the streets, “summarizes- he.

” We will never forget ”

Also present on site, the Vice-Consul of the Consulate General of Turkey in Montreal, Erdal Atik, could not hold back his tears in the face of this outpouring of solidarity.

“Right now we need help, all kinds of help. We want to say thank you to the Canadian government for its kind support and solidarity, ”he said at the microphone, while for a brief moment the crowd quieted down to listen to him.

Montreal policeman Onder Suyum, of Turkish origin, also came. “The Turkish people have experienced one of the greatest disasters that has happened to the world in the last 100 years. He is going through a very difficult time right now, and we are doing our best to help them as little as we can, ”he said, also moved. “I thank the people of Quebec and all the other communities that are part of it. »

Help grows

Everywhere else, initiatives are multiplying. “The phone keeps ringing. People are worried. They want to know how they can help,” says Giokhan Kurtoglu, spokesperson for Turquebec, an independent association that represents the Turkish community in Montreal. He points out that a “majority” of Montrealers of Turkish origin come from regions affected by the earthquake, namely Kahramanmaras, Hatay and Eskendurun, which accentuates the feeling of anguish.

“There are people, they tell us that they still have family members under the rubble. There are others who fail to reach their loved ones. Communications don’t really work,” says Kurtoglu sadly.

Same urgency on the side of the Aleppo Foundation, which evolves in the bosom of the Syrian Orthodox churches of Montreal. “We get dozens of calls. Many Syrians and Lebanese from the diaspora, but also Quebecers, says Fares Antaki, director of the Foundation. People have seen images and are devastated by it. They want to help their cousins, their families. They feel helpless and wonder how to send their contribution. »

Mr. Antaki recalls that it is very difficult to deliver aid to the Aleppo region, which is still under international sanctions.

He encourages donors to go through the Syrian churches, which offer, according to him, a “legal” and secure channel, with reliable relays on the ground.

Where to give?

We can donate in person, Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral Saint-Sauveur des Grecques Melkites Catholiques, at 10025, boulevard de l’Acadie, and Sunday noon at the Syriac Cathedral Saint-Éphrem, at 3155, boul. Cartier O., in Laval, or on the site of the Greek Melkite Eparchy of Canada.

It is also possible to make donations at Turquébec (turquebec.com) or at the Turkish Cultural Center of Montreal, next to the Yunus Mosque, at 3783, rue Villeray, which opens its doors every evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Center is requesting sleeping bags, tents, warm clothes, boots, diapers, non-perishable food items and other items likely to respond to the cold and the immediate emergency. Cash donations can also be sent to [email protected].

In terms of international organizations, the Canadian Red Cross has just launched the Relief fund “Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria” in order to “provide immediate relief to people affected and to support them in their recovery”. You can donate online at www. redcross.ca or by calling 1 800 418-1111. Donations to Oxfam-Québec will provide “protective, water, shelter and emergency food aid to the affected populations”, at a time when Syria is already very weakened by years of civil war.