Seismic emergency
Following the severe earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on the night of February 5-6, the situation remains dramatic. FMSI, on behalf of the Marist Institute, is leading the Marist response to this emergency. It has already launched an appeal for funds. The contributions will be sent to the Marists in Aleppo who are helping the stricken population.
“We feel deep sorrow with the families and communities affected by the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, we extend our sympathy and solidarity,” said Br. Ernesto Sanchez, Superior General.
In Aleppo, where the Blue Marists have been helping the population suffering from the war for years, many houses have collapsed. People refuse to return to their homes for fear of another earthquake. The Marist center has opened its doors and welcomes more than 100 families.
Br. Jorge Sabe, who lives in the Marist community of Aleppo, said in an interview on the morning news program of Antena 3 Noticias on the 7th morning that the situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo is “catastrophic”: “There are many buildings that fell yesterday. Many buildings have been emptied to save people. We are in an apocalyptic situation, really apocalyptic”. He adds, “People are under the rubble. The sirens have not stopped. The hospitals are overflowing… This morning I saw a number of corpses placed outside a public hospital because there was no possibility of having them inside the hospital…”.
Br. Jorge emphasizes that it is “very cold” in Aleppo. In addition, “there is no light and the people have lost all hope because, after so many years of war, the earthquake also comes to announce that we are unfortunate. This is the reality of the situation in the city of Aleppo. You cannot imagine the catastrophic situation in which the city finds itself,” he adds.
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Earthquake hits Aleppo
From the transcript of the interview given by Br George to Antena 3 of Spain.
Marist Brother Georges Sabe tells how the situation in Aleppo is going in the aftermath of the earthquake with its epicentre in Pazarcik, in the province of Kahramanmaras, in the south of Turkey and near the Syrian border.
Sabe admits that he has not been able to rest: “Since yesterday at four in the morning we have not been able to sleep because in addition to the earthquake, we were very afraid of strong aftershocks that remind us of what happened yesterday morning,” he says in an interview on the Antena 3 Noticias morning news programme.
The situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo is, as he describes it, “catastrophic”. People are on the streets or in shelters: “There are many buildings that collapsed yesterday. Many buildings have been emptied to save people. We are in an apocalyptic situation, really apocalyptic”.”People are under the rubble (…) it is a catastrophic reality. Sirens have not stopped. The hospitals are overflowing….. This morning I saw a number of corpses placed outside a public hospital because there was no possibility of keeping them inside the hospital…”, he says.
Freezing temperatures and no electricity
The Marist Brother says it is “very cold” in Aleppo. Moreover, “there is no electricity and the people have lost all hope because after so many years of war, this earthquake has happened for all to see how wretched we have become”. “This is the reality of the situation in the city of Aleppo. You cannot imagine the catastrophic situation in which the city finds itself”, he adds.
During the interview, he took the opportunity to call on Western countries to “drop the sanctions”: “Take care of humanitarian aid for the Syrian population and especially for the city of Aleppo, a city that used to be economically very rich and is now in a dramatic situation”.
“Keep in mind that there are human beings who are suffering and who are afraid, who are in an economic reality of disaster on top of six years of war…”, Sabe said.
“During the day we opened our house to offer whatever we could, food and hot water, to more than a thousand people.” Georges Sabe says that in the city of Aleppo there are only “two hours of electricity a day” and that when the earthquake occurred on the Turkish border, “people were in complete darkness, without heating and in fear… it’s a very terrible trauma for the people”. “We have to help them”, he adds.
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