Vancouver’s Turkish community mobilizes to send emergency supplies to earthquake-stricken homeland
A passenger plane packed with donations and emergency supplies is set to travel from Vancouver, B.C., to Istanbul on Tuesday, as the death toll from Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkiye and Syria surpasses 6,200.
Taylan Tokmak, Vancouver’s Turkish consul general, joined volunteers at the Mavi Jeans warehouse at 580 Industrial Ave. Monday night, where more than 400 boxes and 12 pallets were prepared for the first of several planned Turkish Airlines flights for this emergency mission.
He says the airline, which launched non-stop flights between Vancouver and Istanbul back in May 2021, is delivering the donated goods at no cost, with a goal of sending new shipments every two days.
“Right now it’s snowing in that part of Turkiye, so it’s a race against time,” Tokmak told CTV News at the warehouse Monday night, hours after he attended the throne speech at B.C.’s legislature.
While In Victoria, Tokmak says he spoke with Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness.
“The B.C. government is ready to help us. We reiterated our needs about humanitarian assistance for Turkiye. I also highlighted that Turkiye, for the last decade, has been the number one refugee destination in the world, and now this time it is us who is in deep need.”
Speaking to reporters after the throne speech, Ma confirmed the province has received requests for the support of B.C.’s Heavy Urban Search and Rescue teams.
“We have a team in Vancouver, and in Burnaby and in Surrey. We are currently awaiting instructions from the federal government,” Ma said Monday.
On Tuesday, Ottawa announced plans to contribute $10 million to earthquake relief efforts in Turkiye and Syria as part of an initial aid package.
LOCALS WORRY FOR LOVED ONES BACK HOME
Cansoy Gurocak, a volunteer at the warehouse who moved from Turkiye to Vancouver in 2011, says the most important thing Canada can do for his home country is send search and rescue teams to the devastated south-east region.
“We have a hard time to reach the centre of the earthquake because the roads are destroyed,” Gurocak said of Turkish search and rescue efforts. He’s been in contact with his parents in Turkiye, and says the seniors have lost their home and are living in their car.
“They’re scared, they’re hopeless,” Gurocak told CTV News, adding he hasn’t heard from eight of his relatives, and expects some didn’t survive.
“Shelter is the most important thing, but rescue teams have to take responsibility and they try to save as many people as possible.”
Buket Donnelly, one of the organizers behind Vancouver’s volunteer effort, is also struggling to reach her loved ones back home.
“We have some people here working but their family is actually under the rubble, so it’s so difficult to work, but what else can we do?” Donnelly said. “In Turkiye it’s cold, snowing, raining—so they need any type of help, so we are trying to do our best.”
A Turksih café in Kitsilano, Simit Bakery, is hoping to organize a local fundraiser for earthquake recovery effots. In the meantime, they’ve supplied a list of reputable organizations people can donate to—including AFAD, AKUT and AHBAP.
“Our families, they are OK, but they are all living in outside in their cars,” owner Alper Tasdurmaz told CTV News.
According to the latest census data by Statistics Canada, Vancouver’s Turkish population is around 2,350.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.