Hope blossoms amid catastrophe

“Koreli on numara!” Turkey is still in recovery but hope blossomed even in the ruins of an earthquake. Whenever they met the members of the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), the local residents would put their hand on their heart and expressed their gratitude to the brother country — “Koreli on numara! (Koreans are the best!)” That’s what kept our team going, despite serious fears of aftershock and blistering cold.

It was in the early hours of Feb. 6 when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey. The Korean government decided in record time to dispatch the KDRT and sent a team of 118, the largest single unit to be sent overseas, to Turkey.

The National Fire Agency’s International Search and Rescue Team had its 62 service members packing their cutting-edge equipment as the first squad of KDRT, along with colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the Ministry of National Defense who spent 10 days at the scene of the disaster. Buildings had fallen and aftershocks continued to ruffle the remains. Even the veteran rescuers struggled to come to terms with the gruesome reality. They were getting three search requests every 10 seconds. It could not have been easy turning away from a mother begging to have her son’s body recovered so that they could go and search other areas where there were still hopes of finding survivors. They had to pull themselves together because they had a mission.

In just one and a half hours from beginning the search, they found and rescued their first survivor, a man in his 70s. It was a miracle. Then another man in his 40s, followed by a lady, then a child — KDRT rescued a total of eight survivors from the ruins of the recent Turkey earthquake. It was a truly remarkable feat which surprised the world, demonstrating once again Korea’s emergency response capability.

It was the first time in over 20 years that the KDRT rescued a survivor in an overseas disaster; the last was in 1999 when they rescued one survivor after the great earthquake in Taiwan. Saving eight lives is by all measures a record success, but our team recalls how desperate they were to save even one more.

The local residents’ situation was dire. They’d lost their homes and families overnight, were staying in emergency shelters and struggling to sleep amid fears of aftershocks.

And yet they did all they could to welcome disaster relief teams from around the world. Some volunteered as interpreters and drivers when rescue teams were struggling to make their way into areas with road access cut by the earthquake.

Others came to the KDRT to donate fuel for vehicles. They would offer hot tea and share bread — everything they could muster to say thanks to foreign friends who had come to their aid. In the meantime,

friends from around the world were supporting the people of Turkey in so many different ways.

In Korea, people sent in clothes, shoes, and blankets as well as donations. Our 100,000-strong national volunteer fire brigade association also pulled their weight, visiting the Turkish ambassador in Korea with a donation. Thus even in the middle of such a tragic disaster, Turkey and the rest of the world shared in the warmth of humanity.

The first squad of KDRT donated their equipment to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey (AFAD) and provided necessary training before returning home. That was the best gesture of consolation and support they could offer as they left the scene of the disaster.

Once the first squad came back, the second and third squads went out to Turkey, this time to focus on disaster relief and restoration. For we must now think ahead about the next steps for Turkey. It will be a long process of restoration, rebuilding homes and cities. There should also be psychological and emotional support so that the people can overcome the fear of earthquake. We hope that they will rise once again. We hope that the people of Turkey find courage and consolation in knowing that we are rooting for them all. It’ll soon be spring in Turkey too and the seeds of hope we sowed together will burst into full blossom. The Korean fire service will spare no support for their recovery and reconstruction.