Now Is the Time to Help

Bingol is now all alone. The nights are long and cold. People who find tents in the street to protect them from the elements consider themselves lucky. For days, the people of Bingol lived half full, half hungry. It was not only the houses and school buildings that were demolished by the earthquake; the magnitude-6.4 tremor also dashed the hopes of thousands of people. They had never before been in need of a helping hand or the sincere words of "Please recover soon."

"The fire burns where it falls," says an old Turkish proverb. The same tragedy occurred four years ago in Golcuk and then in Afyon, Dinar, Cankiri and Tunceli’s Pulumur… In all of them, we came face to face with the same negligence, with the same insensitivity.

We should draw a lesson for the future from our mistakes. However, above all, there awaits a mission for us more difficult than cursing the darkness; it’s time now to light a candle. It’s as important to help grieving mothers and orphaned children as it is to apprehend those who are guilty of causing that much pain and bringing them to justice. As they say, "Pain is lessened as it is shared."

Earthquakes are one of the realities of Turkey. The rest of the world has already realized that the most important precaution to be taken against earthquakes is to build safe buildings. Looking to the example of Japan, after each earthquake we say, "Who is guilty? Why did those buildings collapse?" However, neither the subject matter nor the administration nor the lax attitude in terms of protecting the security of life and property ever seems to change.

BANK ACCOUNTS FOR YOUR HELPS

Yapı ve Kredi Bankası(Sultanhamam/İst.)

TL: 1053829–6
USD: 3003818–2
Euro: 3003820–8

Vakıfbank(Mercan/İstanbul)

TL: 2012224
USD: 4012225
Euro: 4012226

Asya Finans(Güneşli Şb./İstanbul)

TL: 6–98000–1
USD: 6–98000–2
Euro: 6–98000–13

Istanbul / TURKEY