‘I can’t do anything for them,’ says Hussein Qarqouz
A former refugee in Sudbury, Ont., is reflecting on the aftermath of an earthquake in Turkey and neighbouring Syria that has left thousands dead.
Hussein Qarqouz fled the Syrian civil war in 2015. His family was the first Syrian refugee family (new window) to arrive in Sudbury.
As rescue crews continue to search for survivors beneath piles of rubble in the two countries, Qarqouz says he and his family have been watching and waiting for news from family as the crisis unfolds.
So far, the death toll following the earthquake and aftershocks, has swelled to over 16,000.
I’m very nervous and I am very sad for them.— Hussein Qarqouz, former Syrian refugee
I’m still sad, my wife cry, my children feel and, you know, [this] is the first shock of my life and this one is big, big one. And after a 12-year war, Qarqouz said.
Qarqouz said he was relieved to hear from both his brother and his sister who still live in Syria. He added that the situation has been particularly difficult for his brother, who has eight children.
He said that he was scared for his sister who lives in an apartment building. Many people in the region have been staying away from their apartment buildings and from what little infrastructure is left standing, in case something collapses.
With his siblings safe, he said his attention has been turned to the country’s need for aid. So far, he and his family in Canada have put together some money to send to Syria — but he knows it won’t be enough.
I’m very nervous and I am very sad for them, Qarqouz said. The situation, he said, has been immensely frustrating to look on from across the globe, I can’t do anything for them.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan says the federal government will provide an initial $10 million in aid to Turkey and Syria following the earthquake (new window).
Sajjan said the government is also looking at deploying medical and search and rescue teams, but it first has to receive an assessment from United Nations’ disaster response teams in the region. CBC
