It’s February 6th,  4:15 AM local time. Turkish and Syrian people are peacefully sleeping in their homes. The pleasant hum of the remaining nightlife emanates from the streets. 

Suddenly, a violent shake rocks the region, tearing down buildings, leaving loved ones missing, and people searching for answers. In a blink of an eye, life has drastically changed for countless people. 

This earthquake, the first of many, measures up to 7.8 on the Richter Scale. 

“I don’t think enough attention is being brought to the earthquakes, as over 50,000 lives were taken from Syria and Turkey,” Maya Kahale (12) said. 

Many people were affected, with an estimated 26 million people being displaced, injured, or separated from their families. The rescue teams have worked hard to unbury those covered in the rubble, but are not always successful. 

“The rescue teams did the best that they could with the resources they had, but more people still need help, whether it regards their medical, financial, or safety issues,” Jenah Chybli (9) said. 

It is more often than not that those helping in the affected cities are not field trained. They are neighbors, friends, or even strangers. 

“It seems like they have lost all hope, even the children cannot be children. They must work to help provide and hope that they can recover from the disaster that has occurred in both countries,” Kahale said. 

The earthquakes are especially traumatizing for both countries due to the pre-existing, complex humanity issues and political conflicts. Additionally, people have also lost many parts of their culture and history. With their homes and/or places of worship destroyed, they are not able to carry on their religion or be comfortable.  

“They have no family antiques or heirlooms, so they have to pass on their culture to their kids only with what is in their minds. They have nothing to refer back to and it makes it hard,” Chybli said. 

Many Syrian and Tukrish students at Grandview and their families have been affected by these earthquakes.

“We have many family and friends that live there. They have had to fly to places like Saudi Arabia to be safe from collapsing buildings,” Kahale said. 

However, many Turkish and Syrian people cannot afford or rely on airlines to find a safe place to settle. This has left many students here at Grandview, afraid for their families well being and safety. 

“The people of Syria and Turkey have been hurt in unimaginable ways. It is important for people to be aware of how bad the situation is there, and to not take their everyday lives for granted,” said Chybli.