A volunteer search and rescue team that self-deployed to TurkeyB次元官网网址檚 earthquake zone has returned to Vancouver to a heroB次元官网网址檚 welcome after spending days combing through the rubble as part of the international lifesaving efforts.
The 10-person Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue team, comprised of mostly first responders from the cityB次元官网网址檚 fire department, flew to Turkey with the blessing of the countryB次元官网网址檚 government.
Arriving in Vancouver on a flight from Istanbul, members of the team touched down Tuesday afternoon following a weeklong deployment in the Turkish city of Adiyaman.
A large group from VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Turkish community waved Canadian and Turkish flags, breaking out into applause and chants of B次元官网网址渨elcome home USARB次元官网网址� as the team emerged from the arrivals gate.
Norm MacLeod, a deputy chief with the White Rock Fire Department who led the team in Turkey, said heB次元官网网址檚 grateful to be home after being surprised by the scale of the devastation.
MacLeod said his team had honed their skills in Nepal in 2015, a B次元官网网址渄isaster in its own right,B次元官网网址� saying that the destruction in Turkey was B次元官网网址渕uch largerB次元官网网址� in scale.
Christina Mohammed and her three children awaited her husband Shawn, a Burnaby firefighter and member of the team, to return after a week away helping with the relief efforts.
Mohammed said she wasnB次元官网网址檛 worried because B次元官网网址渢hey are part of such a highly skilled team and many of them had been deployed before together, and so you just trust that theyB次元官网网址檙e safe, theyB次元官网网址檙e taking care of each other, and theyB次元官网网址檙e there to do good work.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚t was hard not knowing where they were, but it was nice to see his face on TV when they were rescuing the lady,B次元官网网址� she said.
The team said they picked a woman out of the rubble and she suffered minor kidney damage but is B次元官网网址渞esting comfortablyB次元官网网址� following her rescue.
The Canadian government pledged $10 million in aid soon after the quakes, and collection campaigns for food, clothing, and monetary donations soon popped up in multiple Canadian cities.
The team deployed a day after the Feb. 7 quakes that rocked Turkey and Syria, killing more than 35,000 people and levelling thousands of buildings.
Taylan Tokmak, TurkeyB次元官网网址檚 Consul General in Vancouver, said the quake has united CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Turkish community that may feel a sense of survivorB次元官网网址檚 remorse being so far away from the disaster.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 feeling that, honestly, personally,B次元官网网址� he said. Tokmak said he was surprised to hear from the Burnaby USAR team, who called him early Monday morning last week with an offer of help, arranging a flight the next day. B次元官网网址淭hey saved one lady. They saved one of our citizens,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his makes us so much prouder.B次元官网网址�
Tokmak said itB次元官网网址檚 been a hectic time, adding the country must now focus on organizing relief efforts and future reconstruction plans.
B次元官网网址淭his year is the centennial of our republic. We were planning to normally do a lot of celebrations,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淣ow, all of a sudden of course, everything changed.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擠arryl Greer, The Canadian Press
