Eleven people were rescued from the rubble following the February earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria, thanks to the courageous efforts of 25 volunteers from the Ford Otosan Search and Rescue team (FOKE).
The FOKE team – established in 2000 to support search and rescue efforts in the event of natural disasters – was called to action in Hatay, a small Turkish province that borders Syria.
“We view saving lives as a holy duty and very satisfying,” said Halil Zeybek, a member of the FOKE team. “When we were making search and rescue activities in Hatay, sometimes we cried from happiness and other times from sadness.”
When the team arrived in Hatay, Zeybek said the city was almost demolished.
“We were searching through a collapsed building when someone from another building nearby shouted to us for help after hearing a voice coming from under the rubble,” he said, recalled on particular rescue.
Zeybek said the man trapped beneath the debris was named Hayrettin.
“When we arrived at the scene, we continued to talk with Hayrettin to keep him conscious,” recalled Zeybek. “When you are trying to pull someone out alive from the rubble, you must work very carefully using small breaking and cutting equipment. You must not create a vibration or else you can cause more collapse and potentially kill the person.”
After working for 6.5 hours, the team pulled Hayrettin out and helped him into an ambulance.
“His left leg was injured, but he was good,” said Zeybek. “He was so thankful. We cried together with him and his family. We were so happy that we forgot how tired we were.”
The February 6 earthquake, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale, claimed more than 55,000 lives in Turkey and neighboring Syria.
The Ford Fund continues to provide an opportunity for Ford colleagues to help those in need through the GlobalGiving Disaster and Crisis Relief fund. Since it was launched, the campaign has raised almost $100,000 for those impacted by the earthquake.
