The city of Kahramanmaras was one of the worst hit cities when the earthquake struck Turkey on February 6th. For nearly 300 miles, the earthquake zone left behind a trail of ruined buildings and changed lives.
For millions of Turkish people, life will never be the same. Their lives are marked by before and after the massive earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks that hit their country.
The Dudakali family in Hatay shared with CBN News how the disaster affected their lives. We sat down with Felis in their temporary shelter to hear their story.
“Before the earthquake, I had my own business. I was making bread and pastry. Everything was going very well, but now, unfortunately, after the earthquake, I have no job and my workplace was destroyed,” said Felis. “Right now, unfortunately, I’m not allowed to go to my bakery anymore.”
Felis made all sorts of Turkish baked goods, but the earthquake and its aftermath took its toll on her livelihood, her family, and the children.
“Our fear was too great. I don’t know when my children’s psychology will improve because unfortunately, we even had to remove the corpses. Even my uncle’s markets were destroyed. We had to remove the bodies ourselves,” Felis told CBN News, adding that psychologically they are not doing well.
Rather than go home, the family now lives in a tent out of fear of the continuing aftershocks.
“Children need education. Yes, that is my biggest concern. I don’t know what will happen to the education of the children,” Felis shared.
After the quake, Operation Blessing (OB) came to help. They visited the family, provided food, and examined the grandfather, who is suffering from post-traumatic shock.
“Blessing comes to us. We are always waiting for you. You supported us. Thank you very much. Many thanks to those who did this,” said another survivor, Ibrahim Ekmekci.
“We were so proud. We got emotional. It made us even happier,” Ekmekçi told CBN News.
“Also, thank you for coming and making us feel welcome. It is nice. We felt that we were not alone. God bless you,” said Felis.
Felis’s goal is to bake again.
“I hope to continue my work elsewhere. I will invite you there. There will be treats from me. I make tandoori bread. If we get a chance, we are proud to present it to you,” she said.
On this day, the OB team came as friends and left as family.
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN