Grief and hope apparent at earthquake solidarity event

Over 300 people gathered to relieve the suffering of earthquake victims at a solidarity event held at Oakville City Hall on Tuesday evening.

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A solidarity event was held Tuesday evening at Oakville Town Hall for the horrible earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria. Over 50,000 people - around a quarter of Oakville's population - died, and nearly 2 million lost their homes in the tragic earthquakes.

Organized by The Arab Canadian Vote Earthquake Taskforce, over 300 people, mostly from Arab and Turkish communities, gathered to relieve the pain of the victims hit by the devastating earthquake. Defense Minister Anita Anand, Turkey's Consul General in Toronto Sinem Mingan, Mayor Rob Burton, politicians and representatives of various Canadian relief organizations also attended the event.

Cries for help continued for days, as people were trapped under collapsed buildings, affecting a total area of 1,000 square kilometres – roughly the size of Halton Region – in both countries.

International rescue teams raced against time to save the people stuck under the collapse as the victims battled hunger, thirst and freezing cold.

A volunteer member of the White Helmets rescue team (also known as the Syria Civil Defense), Raed Al Saleh's report was one of the emotional peaks of the event.

The White Helmets, numbering 3,000 men and women, worked day and night to pull the survivors from the rubble in northwest Syria; Al Saleh said, "The earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria are the biggest disaster we have ever faced. Now, we are feeling the same pain as our neighbour Turkey and Turkish society because we died on the same day."

Knowing victims buried under the rubble have no chance of living after three weeks, their relatives in Turkey and Syria want to find their bodies and bury them respectfully.

The children who lost their lives or lost their families and became orphans are tragic consequences of the earthquake's devastation.

Trauma surgeon Dr. Al Muhaimeed who returned from Idlib province in northern Syria a few days ago shared his experience treating three-year-old Alp Arslan Berri. Alp died after a week in intensive care due to complications of a crushed limb. The boy's death affected him deeply.

"His dad, his mom, and his siblings all died. So I was very anxious while treating this three-year-old boy. Every time I saw him, I asked myself, if he survives, where he's going to end up," commented Dr. Muhaimeed.

Underlining the federal government's humanitarian assistance in response to earthquakes in both countries and expressing the priority provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to refugee applications from the disaster area, Minister of National Defense Anita Anand stated, "We are committed to helping the victims and their families. Thanks to community leaders and relief partners like The White Helmets."

Expressing gratitude to the thousands of Canadians from different backgrounds who volunteered and donated at the earthquake relief warehouses, Turkey's Consul General in Toronto, Sinem Mingan, requested a cargo plane from Canadian Air Force to accelerate the relief supplies that could be delivered to the disaster area.

During the event, Oakvillians showed solidarity with the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. Grief from the tragic disaster was evident on the faces of individuals in attendance; however, faith and hope for the affected region to return to normal as soon as possible were also apparent.