Our correspondent, who set out for Hatay Antakya at the first light of the day after the news of the earthquake, reached the region at the 25th hour on his way to save his relatives and support the aid activities.
The first thing to notice was that the town center of Antakya was leveled. The helpless wait of the citizens, who were waiting for their families to be rescued at the beginning of the wreckage, lasted for a very long time. As the time narrowed, hopes were fading, and the aid teams reached the region exactly on the third day.
WE TAKE THE ROAD ON FIRST DAY BUT WE REACHED AFTER 25 HOUR
With the first light of the day of the earthquake, the road we set out from Ankara turned into an endless ordeal. Troubles in the direction of Şereflikoçhisar, Aksaray, Ulukışla, where snowfall is heavy, caused great difficulties in the transportation of both aid and heavy construction machinery to the region. While the snowfall prevented the light vehicles from going, heavy construction machines waited for hours on the roads for a long time due to the accidents experienced by the light vehicles.
Only one of the snowplows was working on the long road. The condition of the main artery, which will carry aid and construction equipment from the western axis to the earthquake zone, remained like this for a long time. Our journey, which we had to stop from time to time due to snow, was delayed to the second day of the earthquake. Pozantı, which we reached in the morning of the second day, progressed rapidly due to the temperate climate conditions.
However, the traffic slowing down after the earthquake affected the connections of the highway viaduct in Iskenderun, then turned into an ordeal at the entrance of Belen. After long queues and waiting, we crossed Belen and Amanos Mountain and continued until we reached the point where we reached the point where we reached the Kırıkhan pass with excessive traffic. When we reached Antakya district, 25 hours had passed since our journey.
THE SHOCK OF THE EARTHQUAKE ALSO SHAKE THE INSTITUTIONS
At a time when people took to the roads to save the earthquake victims in a vital time, the relevant institutions, especially the Highways, could not get over the shock of the earthquake for a long time.
THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF ANTAKYA DESTROYED
We observed that the buildings on the main artery leading to the center of Hatay became more damaged as they progressed, and the effect of the earthquake increased towards the center. We reached the town center of Antakya in a very long time. The earthquake caused great damage in Hatay.
In Antakya, which we can only observe, dozens of buildings were destroyed on every street. We have come across many times that new buildings, mostly old buildings, have been leveled to the ground. On average, 5 of the 10 buildings on each street were on the ground, and the buildings that remained standing were also damaged.
ON FIRST DAY, TEAMS WERE VERY LIMITED AND INSUFFICIENT
According to the information we obtained from our relatives when we reached the region, while search and rescue activities were going on in only a few buildings the previous day, the citizens briefly saved their relatives with their own means. Citizens who removed their relatives from easy-to-reach points were trying to give morale to their families in difficult places with just their voices. On the first day, our relatives were able to save two little puppies with their own means. Others were in the lower part of the wreckage. For this, professional teams had to come.
HEART-BREAKING VOICES FILLED THE SILENCE OF THE NIGHT…
In the Antakya district, which we reached in the evening of the second day, people who brought aid with their own vehicles started to distribute at only a few points. Then, as the cold of the night started to increase slowly, smoke started to rise from every point. Citizens at the head of the rubble started to warm up by lighting fires to be close to their families under the rubble piles. In the middle of the night, the silence was filled with heart-wrenching sounds. Citizens who were at the head of each wreck, called out from time to time until the morning to keep their relatives awake and to give them morale, with the sentences "Mother, we are here, do not be afraid, do you hear my mother's voice, my daughter, I am here, do you hear my father's voice".
MORNING PRAYER TOUCHED THE HEARTS
In the first hours of the night, when the night turned to morning, the call to prayer of the citizen, who went to a high place, warmed their hearts. Citizens who performed ablution with tayammum immediately after the morning prayer stood in line and prayed.
TIME IS SHORTENED, HOPE IS DECREASED…
On the morning of the third day, time was running short and hopes were dwindling. In the first light of the morning, unlike the first and second days, the intensity of the teams was seen in the 72nd hour of the earthquake, that is, on the third day. While bruised teams were seen on the wreckage at only a few points the previous day, on the morning of the third day, a feverish work began on all the wreckage. The mothers of our relatives were rescued only in the afternoon of the third day, as there was no crane. As there was no sound from the other members of the family, the work on the wreckage was stopped and the teams moved to another building.
FUNERALS HOLD IN THE SCHOOL GARDEN
On the second day we reached the region, the bodies were placed in the school garden and kept there until the evening of the third day. Since some of them did not have relatives, they could be taken too late due to the difficulties of transportation to the region after waiting for a long time. In fact, the bodies removed from the rubble at some points were kept on the sidewalks for hours because the funeral vehicles could not reach them.
AMBULANCE WAITED HOURS FOR THE INJURED
It took hours to transport the wounded due to the situation and organization problems on the roads. Although half an hour's notice was given for the victim who would survive the wreckage, the vehicles could arrive hours later.
CITIZENS FEEL ALONE
It was criticized by the citizens that Hatay was not given enough importance on the first day and that the local civil administration was insufficient. Being aware that some actions will take time due to the magnitude of the disaster, the citizen waited for days for search and rescue teams, especially for help. While this situation increased the tension in the region, the voice of being calm and peaceful revealed the foresight of the citizens. In short, the residents of Hatay, perhaps for the first time, felt so alone.
EVEN ENTRY AND EXIT TO THE CITY TAKE HOURS
Even the entrance and exit to Hatay took hours due to the inadequacy of the organization and the inability to take precautions. While life corridors had to be established for search and rescue vehicles and cranes to reach the priority area, there was a traffic jam when thousands of vehicles tried to go to the city, which has only one main artery connection. This caused great delays in the transportation of the most important vehicles.
LATE FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME
In the time of vital importance after the earthquake, it was too late to intervene. The search and rescue activity, which was very limited in the first 24 hours, increased a bit on the second day, but the majority of the teams reached the region after the 72nd hour the next day.
INSUFFICIENT EQUIPMENT, FEW QUALIFIED STAFF
The most important issue in the crisis is qualified personnel and equipped equipment. Much more important than the number of teams that arrive at the first moment, the professional teams are very few. There were very few of them in the area during the time period, which was of vital importance, as was the lack of equipment along with the crews.