Almost every day, there are people from Kurdistan and Turkey coming to all regions affected by earthquakes, whose epicenters were Pazarcik and Elbistan in Maraş, where tens of thousands of people lost their lives. Those coming from other cities of Kurdistan say they were shocked when they saw the destruction in the earthquake zones. Although disinformation spread by the mainstream media and AKP-MHP trolls in the virtual media showed that there has been little disaster and everything is going on as normal, the volunteers who came here say that they could not predict that the situation would be this bad.

Ahmet Gün, a volunteer who came to Adiyaman (Semsûr) from Şirnak to help the earthquake victims, said that he never expected to face such a disaster before entering the city and added that he could not stay at home after the first day of the earthquake and that he set out to come to Adiyaman as soon as possible.

I did not see the government

Gün continued: “As I entered the city, I realized that the situation was not good at all. We, as volunteers, wish our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and their wounds to be healed. The first thing I felt and saw when I came here was that the city was devastated. This broke my heart. It makes me very sad, especially when people act by their own means. Because I couldn't see the state here.”

Gün said: “Again, I saw people coming from Serhat and Amed for solidarity. It was Kurdish children who were under the rubble and the people came to their aid. I expected the state to act together with the volunteers here, but the opposite is true: it was civilians who showed solidarity with the earthquake victims."

Need for everything

Gün said: “There is a need for all kinds of food. We have come here to help our people. We are trying to do the best we can. Those whose houses are ruined need everything. That's what those who send help should think about. A person who has everything under the rubble only has solidarity left. Therefore, this is the time for both material and moral solidarity with our people.”