THUNDER BAY — In 11 years of living through Syria’s civil war, Ahmad Hafez says his family never experienced anything as terrifying as last week’s earthquake that flattened parts of Aleppo, his home province, and much of southern Turkey.
Hafez, who recently moved to Thunder Bay from Lebanon, on Tuesday said he was on the phone with a friend in Syria when the earthquake struck.
Moments later, as the magnitude of the disaster started setting in, and hours later as he still couldn’t reach his family, panic set in.
More than 41,000 people are confirmed dead in the two countries, with large sections of Aleppo left in ruins, leaving tens of thousands homeless.
Hafez was finally able to reach his family, learning they were safe, though one of his sisters is unable to return to her apartment to collect her belongings, the Syrian government warning the cracks in the building’s structure make it unsafe to enter.
“My sister took her kid, she has a three-month-old, grabbed it in her hands and just started running,” Hafez said, recounting what his sister later told him.
“She started losing her balance and going from one wall to the other because it was a very (strong) earthquake. They live on the fourth floor or the third floor. They felt something they have never felt in 10 years of war, as she explained. That was the hardest feeling they’ve every felt.”
Hafez said he felt helpless, safe in Canada, unable to help his family and friends recover from the disaster, which also left 14,500 people injured in Syria.
“I was really relieved, but at the same time, when you’re looking at the news and all of your friends’ houses are cracked, and some of my friends’ houses have collapsed and they’ve been left homeless, it’s tough,” Hafez said.
“Especially my best friend. She lives in Turkey and had to move her mom from a city that has half collapsed to another city just to make her safe because they lost their house. They lost their belongings. In one minute, they lost everything. So I can’t say I was fully relieved because I have other people there who means something to me. They were very (badly) affected.”
Hafez said he’s encouraging Canadians to help with donations to provide relief to those impacted by the earthquake. The Red Cross of Canada is accepting donations to provide that emergency help.
