Mayor Altay: “We Still Feel That Our Hearts Are Tight”

Konya Metropolitan Municipality YouTube Stating that the view and the earthquake they saw when they reached Hatay in the documentary broadcast on the channel were terrifying, Mayor Altay said, “We encountered something that words cannot describe, and people started to gather around it by lighting fires with things they could find outside in the cold. Those were difficult times. There was almost nothing left. It was pitch dark that day, probably because of the clouds or the rain. Those were difficult days when there was not even moonlight. When I remember, I see that some things are missing, they don't come alive in my mind. "It's a trauma, so there are gaps in between," he said.

“OUR MAJOR CONDITION IS 'WHERE ARE WE GOING?' "IT WAS A QUESTION"

Mayor Altay, remembering the moment he heard about the February 6 earthquake, said:

“That night, I woke up with the phone ringing and said, 'Something extraordinary must have happened, nothing normal can happen at this hour.' I answered the phone. It was said, 'President, there was a huge earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş.' I said, 'Let's go to AKOM immediately and start your preparations, I'm coming too.' I hurriedly dressed and came to our fire station in Aydınlıkevler. I think it was around 05.30. I told the search and rescue teams that they were on a difficult mission, that they were representing Konya, that our job was difficult, but Konya's support was important. Our biggest dilemma there is 'Where are we going?' was the question.

Stating that they later created a crisis desk at AKOM, Mayor Altay said, “We immediately set off the first food truck. Because people's fastest need is to access food. There was also such a need for search and rescue teams. At that moment, things started to become a little clearer. Images of the earthquake's intensity began to appear. We started to receive intense calls from citizens about what to do regarding earthquake relief. Around 11.30, we identified 3 gyms in our 3 central districts and shared this with the public. "In the meantime, we started working on donating blood quickly," he said.

Mayor Altay emphasized that what happened was a very deep pain and that people's throat gets stuck when talking about it, and said:

“Although we all have experience and knowledge of what we have experienced in Hatay, both in our personal lives and in our municipal work, we still feel that a piece of our heart is affected and squeezed every time his name is mentioned. You don't feel like sitting down and eating anything while you're there, it makes you uncomfortable. While people are out in the cold and your staff is working, you don't have an agenda such as "Let me sit here, rest, sleep, eat." We slept in the car for the first 10 days, but on the 10th day, I think a big minibus arrived. I am 49 years old, I don't remember ever sleeping with socks on in my life. But we slept curled up in the car with socks, mesh, and the clothes we were wearing. “Until day 13, 14, maybe 20.”

“I REMEMBER TEARS COURTED FROM MY EYES AT THAT MOMENT”

Sharing the moment when he fell asleep in a chair due to fatigue while trying to coordinate aid trucks, Mayor Altay said, “Where should we put the containers? Where should we unload aid trucks? Where should we put the generator? We were talking about these issues with our Chief Advisor to the President, Mustafa Stream. I fell asleep in the chair while we were talking. I don't remember how long I slept, and I don't remember who woke me up. I'm not even aware that the photo was taken. I didn't see that photo at that time either. Then we continued our work. I think it was 2 days later, I was driving somewhere. Internet connection is very low anyway. While I was refreshing social media, when the photo came across me, I didn't realize it was me at first. Because you are in a state of sleep, your face is not clearly visible in the photo. When I looked at what this was, I remember tears falling from my eyes at that moment. "I feel bad because you feel helpless," he said.

“MY LORD PROTECT OUR CITIES AND COUNTRY FROM SUCH DISASTERS”

Reminding that a year has passed since the earthquake, Mayor Altay said, “We are now in a period when the debris has been removed and a new life has begun to be established. These will not bring back the 50 thousand people we lost. I wish God's mercy on them and offer my condolences to their relatives and our nation. May God protect our cities and our country from such disasters. All of Türkiye is mobilized to heal the wounds as soon as possible. People there need to move to reliable housing as soon as possible, and commercial and social life should start. Another thing that the earthquake taught us all. We have seen once again the fact that we all need resilient cities. The most important agenda of mayors should be to make their cities resilient. We must be able to prepare our cities for all disasters, especially earthquakes and climate change. We don't have the luxury of making mistakes. From now on, we need to put this at the forefront in everything we do. We also need to learn from what we experienced in the earthquake zone in Hatay and complete our shortcomings in order to be more ready for future disasters. Nothing is perfect, there is always work to be done. We had the opportunity to see what we were doing in the field and where we were lacking in everything from search and rescue to clean water and transportation, from communication to humanitarian aid. "As a nation, we forget quickly, so before we forget, we need to improve our institutional capacity by immediately completing our shortcomings in this regard," he said.

In the documentary, employees working in various units of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, which has been operating in the region for a long time, also talked about their feelings and experiences. The documentary prepared on the first anniversary of the February 6 earthquakes was produced by Konya Metropolitan Municipality. YouTube can be viewed on the channel.