Testimonial – At a time when 30 kits of emergency and basic health products are being sent or are in the process of being sent to Turkey to 5 of the association’s NGO partners, here is the testimonial of Éric Zipper, head of mission at the USAR World Rescue Corps, one of Tulipe’s partners, given on 8 February. The rescue worker and speleologist arrived on site on 7 February with his team and immediately began a race against time, taking part in exploration and search operations in the town of Malatya.
Since their arrival in Malatya, in the Turkish province of the same name, in the late afternoon of 7 February, the search and rescue operations have been virtually non-stop. “As soon as we arrived, we contacted the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD). We worked almost all night alongside them and a number of small Turkish associations that are helping out, as well as the police, in an area of 70 collapsed buildings. We pulled out several people, unfortunately already dead, and one woman, alive. We are coordinating with all the teams on site. And, as a caver, I’m one of those who’s sneaking through the rubble”, explains Éric Zipper, mission leader, during a brief moment of respite.
Rescue workers from the World Rescue Corps working on site with the local authorities (DR – World Rescue Corps)
“Minus 10 degrees and 30 centimetres of snow”.
The team from this mountain and rubble rescue specialist is the only French team on site and the second international one. As well as the mission leader, it currently includes an emergency doctor and nurse, a dog expert and a technician/logistician. This 5-strong team, experienced in emergency operations, will be joined by reinforcements from the NGO this evening or tomorrow morning. These reinforcements will bring with them other Tulipe emergency care trunks. “The conditions on the ground are quite difficult, with temperatures of minus 10° at night and 30 centimetres of snow. We’ve been welcomed with open arms by the local population. They bring us food and give us hugs,” adds Éric Zipper, who has already been involved in natural disasters, notably in Haiti, Nepal and the Philippines. “We’re going to be staying in this vast search area for the next few hours, as the dogs have marked several places,” adds the head of the World Rescue Corps mission.
The French rescue workers, who arrived on 7 February in the late afternoon, took part in the search operations throughout the night (DR – Corps Mondial de Secours)
Earthquake in Turkey: “The priority is to respond to the emergency”.
At Tulipe’s warehouse in Le Thillay, mobilisation is constant: “We are in contact with five NGOs: the Corps Mondial de Secours, Secouristes Sans Frontières Medical Team (SSF), Aides Actions Internationales Pompiers, the French Groupe d’Interventions et de Secours and CASC-APPUI, the humanitarian section of the fire brigade”, explains Alexandre Laridan, Tulipe’s Director of Operations. “We do our utmost to respond to all requests, the priority being emergency aid. Emergency and basic kits are distributed to NGOs. These are used to supply health clinics, as the affected areas are a long way from the country’s main centres”, he stresses. At the end of this morning, the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, which is still provisional, had reached 10,000. Many regions have been devastated, and tens of thousands of people are injured or homeless. According to AFAD figures, a total of 3,251 international rescue teams have contacted the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to offer their assistance and have been deployed to the areas affected by the earthquake.
