Quake survivors in southern Turkey struggle with their mental health after two monthsExBulletin

Two months after deadly earthquakes in southern Turkey, millions of survivors suffer the mental health toll of the horrific disaster.

Adrian Florida, host:

Survivors of the massive earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria two months ago still shudder at the memories of that night. More than 56,000 people have been killed in the two countries. For the millions who have experienced it but survived, the trauma and grief continues. NPR’s Fatma Tanis went to Antakya, one of the hardest-hit cities in southern Turkey, and has this report.

Unidentified Child #1: (speaking in a language other than English).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking in a language other than English).

Fatma Tanis, Belen: The parking lot of the stadium, one of the few permanent large buildings in Antakya, is now a large tented camp for thousands of earthquake survivors. It is supervised by the Turkish government and aid organizations. Children play outside some large tents covered in graffiti called psychosocial support, while their mothers watch from a distance.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD 2: (Speaking in a language other than English).

Unidentified Child #3: (speaking in a language other than English).

Tanis: 34-year-old Hafsa Basar, who fled with her children when the six-storey building collapsed during the earthquake, destroying many of their neighbours. They jumped over the balcony, which fell on their car. The only things they could catch were two parrots.

Hafsa Basar: (speaking Turkish).

Tanis: Since then, she told me her little girl couldn’t sleep at night and would often wake up screaming. Then Bassar began sending her children to a treatment tent, where mental health professionals volunteered to help children and families.

PASR: (through interpreter) I’m not sure exactly how they did it. They play some games with the kids and talk to them, but my daughter is less scared now.

Tanis: While we were chatting, a woman named Midi Hebeli overheard us and approached, and two kids were on their way. She looks confused and on end with her kids.

Medi Hebeli: (Speaking Turkish).

Tanis: Her youngest daughter, who’s 4, won’t stop crying, she says, sometimes going for four or five hours straight.

Hebeli: (through interpreter) She can feel it when the aftershocks happen. Even when the wind blows, she starts crying and we can’t calm her down. She is starting to get very jealous of her brothers as well.

Tanis: Then there’s her eldest daughter, who was briefly separated from her family the night of the earthquake and couldn’t find them. Usually calm and well-behaved, the 6-year-old girl will not leave her mother’s side for a moment. Heybeli doesn’t know what to do anymore. She has her own trauma and nightmares. They lost her home and many of her relatives. As a result, her relationship with her husband was also affected.

Hebli: (speaking Turkish).

Tanis: Heybeli had never heard of mental health support. This camp is big and there is a lot going on. Hafsa Basar, who used to send her children to the treatment tents, tells of the benefits she has seen having her children work with trained professionals.

Unidentified Child #4: (speaking in a language other than English).

HEYBELI: (speaking a language other than English).

Tanis: Among them is Cancel Ipek, a psychologist who, like many others here, took unpaid leave from her job to volunteer in the earthquake zone. The earthquake disrupted millions of lives, and Ipek says people are still in shock, unable to process their anger or grief.

CANSEL IPEK: (speaking Turkish).

Tanis: You say they are now treating children in groups, but people here do not have the safety and stability needed for individual therapy. They remain focused on obtaining shelter, food, water and hygiene.

IPEK: (speaking Turkish).

Tanis: But Epic also looks for any signs of dangerous behavior like suicide or psychosis. They are also trying to educate people, especially women and children, to help protect them from sexual or physical and domestic abuse and violence.

IPEK: (speaking Turkish).

Tanis: The scale of this disaster is so great, Ipek says they are looking for years of needed psychological support — not only for survivors, but first responders, rescue teams, and traumatized aid workers as well. Fatma Tanis, NPR News, Antakya, Türkiye.

Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit the Terms of Use and Permissions pages of our website at www.npr.org for more information.

NPR scripts are created on an expedited deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The official record of NPR programming is the audio record.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos