A Father's Quest to Save His Children 

Syrian history is riddled with painful dates - 15 March marks the beginning of the Syrian war that ravaged the country and now - 6 February is engraved in the memories of Syrians. 

On that dreadful day, families were awoken by a deadly earthquake. Little did they know it was only the beginning to horrible 14,000 aftershocks that have been recorded in Syria. The aftershocks varied in magnitude; some recorded at 5 on the Richter scale while some reached a staggering 7.5. 

When the ground started pounding, fathers and mothers held on to their children hoping it would stop but the earthquake that lasted few seconds was enough to result in an un irreversible damage and loss. 

“During the earthquake, the situation was horrible, it felt like the end of the  world,” shares Yahya* who grabbed his children tightly while his house was swaying from left to right.

The 40-year-old father is one of the Syrians who managed to escape the rubble. But almost 7 thousand Syrians stayed trapped under the rubble. They waited for help while people above ran miles to try to get them out. Sadly, lack of resources and heavy machineries sealed their fate. 

Neighbours, friends, family members and rescue teams, worked at their full capacity, to save as many lives as they could.  

This was the reality in Syria since the first earthquake mayhem. 

Yahya was in shock. Too many things had happened. He continues to share, “We live on the 4th floor and luckily I was awake at that time.” Yahya was sober during the tragedy and was able to grasp the situation. At first, he hoped it would go away but the shakes only intensified; car alarms began beeping, people were screaming and the building started swinging.  

Realising they were stationed high he made a decision to immediately evacuate. He sprinted to wake up his mother, who lives with them, and his children. While Yahya and his family were heading out, he shut off the electricity to avoid the possibility of a fire or maybe a part of him prayed in a couple of minutes they would all return home soon, but fate decided otherwise.  

Feeling his way through the dark

Yahya began walking through the darkness; he had no time to grab anything, even a flashlight. He was fortunate to gather his children and family. The father is clenching his children but the shaking ground is pulling his family apart, his children are 'slipping' through his hands. He managed to picked up one of his children in his arms and ran down the stairs.

The way to safety felt like an eternity and the sturdy stairs felt like a slide. “I was sliding from the fourth floor to the ground floor,” he shares. Finally, the family was outside, but they were greeted by heavy rain and freezing weather. “We were barefoot and wearing pyjamas, but we stood under the rain,” he recalls.

Just as the family was thinking of taking a sigh of relief, a second aftershock hit the area. “We were outside, between the buildings, thank God, the scene was horrible”. The family miraculously managed to escape the deadly earthquake. All their belongings stayed back at their cracked home and they have nowhere to go.

Yahya reached out to his sister in another area to check on her and her family and also to get so much needed support. Brother and sister met in another severely affected area. Upon their arrival, he couldn’t recognise her house. The town was completely demolished and his sister’s home was one of the 10,700 affected buildings in Syria. This meant, a temporary shelter was their only and last option.

The family headed to a shelter with the clothes on their backs. However, they were so disappointed upon their arrival; the shelter was really crowded. The family was among 86,000 people who all were displaced after their homes were completely or partially destroyed.

This sudden surge of displaced persons added another layer of demand on the already limited numbers of tents and resources. Thankfully, the family was able to secure a tent but it was far from ideal. "There is only one toilet and people queue to use it. we are 13 people and we are in one tent,” explains Yahya. This means lack of privacy for his mother.

There is also no school, the education of his children is now on hold. However, Yahya feels thankful his children are alive “thank God children can forget easily, we buy them stuff to make them happy, aid workers support them, some people get them toys and clothes”.

Syria earthquake affected already a severely devastated country that has been witnessing war for the past 12 years and suffers from an alarming lack of resources. The quake only put more pressure on the restricted capacities.

But, people are resilient and Yahya is a prime example. His determination to salvage his family shows the great length a father is willing to go to just keep his family safe.

*Names are changed to protect identity.