A deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey late tonight has caused damage in Syria, and was felt in Lebanon, and Israel, as well. It has collapsed buildings, sparked fires in ruptured gas lines, and prompted Italian authorities to warn of potential tsunami waves. Aftershocks, including one of 6.7 magnitude and another of 5.6, have continued to hit in the wake of the first quake.
Heather, thank you for bringing together multiple voices about this humanitarian crisis. Thank heaven for President Biden’s leadership and empathy as well as the kindness of the US toward those affected.
Multiple voices are terrific; multiple humanitarian efforts even better. Three suggestions for those of us here to send gift support to if we have the means:
www.whitehelmets.org - a volunteer group working at the front lines in Syria. They are literally in the middle already and working to find survivors.
www.wck.org World Central Kitchen. This group is also already on the ground and serving meals.
www.oxfam.org. This is the international group, as opposed to Oxfam America. Again, they are already in the region, and importantly, will continue to work in the region after this crisis is over.
If you are able, these groups could use our support.
Thank you, Sheila. Years ago I was in touch with a small group of people- men and women- who had formed a emergency response team during the civil war. I admired them for their bravery and commitment and sent what I could to help, then lost touch with them as the war escalated and they were forced to evacuate where they were. I suspect they were among the groups who came together to form the White Helmits. In their honor I sent a donation to the White Helmets. I so appreciate the link.
No doubt. However, Biden's amazing coalition building, done quickly and broadly for confronting Russia and China gets my respect. It reflects his long history and knowledge of governing with finesse and firmness. I hope! BTW, I have always thought that Pres Obama did not get the well deserved respect for routing out bin Laden.
A 7.8 magnitude is catastrophic- and in the middle of winter is even more tragic. Those poor people. Thank heavens we have a President experienced in international affairs and with a competent and knowledgeable staff.
"We were shaken like a cradle. There were nine of us at home. Two sons of mine are still in the rubble, I'm waiting for them," ‘said a woman with a broken arm and injuries to her face, speaking in an ambulance near the wreckage of a seven-story block where she had lived in Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey.’
'ISTANBUL — A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey early Monday killed more than 1,600 people across the country and in neighboring Syria, officials said, as rescuers searched flattened buildings in frigid weather for survivors. The earthquake — felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt — occurred in Kahramanmaras province, north of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.'
'It was followed by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in southeastern Turkey on Monday afternoon, as well as dozens of powerful aftershocks. Most of the damage is in southern Turkey and northern and central Syria.'
'___ from the US, The Turkish Philanthropy Funds has teamed up with 13 different organisations based in the ground that are already working to help people recover from the devastating earthquake.'
“The combination of large magnitude and shallow depth made this earthquake extremely destructive," Mohammad Kashani, Associate Professor of Structural and Earthquake Engineering at the University of Southampton, said.
'LIKE THE APOCALYPSE'
‘Aleppo health director Ziad Hage Taha told Reuters wounded people were "arriving in waves".
‘Syrian state television showed footage of rescue teams searching for survivors in heavy rain and sleet.’
And as we give to relief organizations, send a small sum to the Democrats, remembering that if Republicans are in power, no more US international aid in situations like this. MAGA is not generous.
Where I live the best-funded mayoral candidate has been involved in the national attempt to kill public schools by supporting vouchers. We need to start with supporting public schools, paying teachers a living wage, reducing class sizes, weeding those who would ban books. Racism is at the root of so much that you abhor and is the major stumbling block to our fulfilling our dream of true democracy. The MAGA crowd, many or most of whom have never had a course in American history or civics, do not or cannot understand the importance of the word “ freedom,” and as the middle class recedes so the super rich can prosper, the MAGA crowd will grow.
Thé importance of the Biden presidency is Joe Biden’s taught resiliency. And that he was truly middle class with all the privileges of that.
Domestic terrorists in control of Congress. Thank you. MTG and Co. have become so “normal,” that some days I forget their vote for the Big Lie and her asking that Ashley Babbitt be declared a “martyr.” With 2024 elections, May voters see that unless the MAGAs are voted out, we remain in grave danger. When Trump joined the dictators of the world and with further help from Russia took many Americans with him, we were endangered. Now, with Russia’s continuing help and Chinese factories on our doorstep in Mexico, we are even moreso.
'Almost 3,000 buildings collapsed across Turkey alone after the initial quake, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. More than 1,760 people died and 5,000 people were injured. “We do not know where the number of dead and injured can go,” he said.'
'In Syria, rescue workers used headlamps and flood lights to work throughout the night. More than 1,250 people were dead and thousands more injured across the country. Turkey also hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, the most in the world from that conflict, according to the U.N. refugee agency, which runs one of its largest operations from Gaziantep.'
'Videos shared on social media from Turkey and across the border in Syria showed destroyed buildings and rescue crews searching through piles of rubble for survivors. Some people fled their homes in the rain and took shelter in cars in near-freezing temperatures.'
'Governments around the world quickly responded to Turkey’s request for international assistance, deploying rescue teams and offers of aid.'
International Rescue Committeehttps://www.rescue.org
Help us send emergency aid to Turkey, Syria and crisis zones worldwide. Donate Now.
Fern, you need to go back in and edit the link to IRC. You inadvertently failed to put a space before the url; otherwise it won't work. That said, thank you for all you've been posting in today's Letter.
We wanted to make sure that this incredibly urgent email from our Emergency Response Team at the top of your inbox Monday morning. Is there any way you can help?
BREAKING NEWS: Two back–to–back earthquakes at the Turkish–Syrian border: more than 1,700 dead after 7.8 and 7.5–magnitude quakes, with numbers expected to rise.
You can use this link to immediately rush your emergency donation for children and families in Turkey and Syria and in crisis zones worldwide: https://help.rescue.org/donate/syria-earthquake
'...this is an awful and rapidly developing emergency. We're ramping up our efforts to raise emergency response funds now.
The IRC has been working in Syria since 2012. IRC teams are on the ground now and working tirelessly to ensure the safety and well–being of our staff, local partners and those affected and assessing the area as the situation develops.
My first thought reading this this morning is will our “America First” contingent in Congress who complain about aid to Ukraine complain about this too?
Reading about the gas lines I can only think if we went to clean energy and didn’t have so much free flowing gas would these disasters be easier to deal with during rescue.
I will send an extra donation to these agencies. Thank you for the links.
Epicenter: Gaziantep, NNE of Aleppo just across the border in Syria. MONDAY UPDATE: 3 pm Eastern: Per Hallie Jackson, msnbc: Above 3500 deceased per Turkish Officials. The site is not far from US Air Base at Incirclik, Turkey. There was a major after shock of 7.5 on Monday. After shocks continue on a NW line following a Turkish Fault Line.
It's a pity that Türkiye can't say the same. Mr. Erdogan could have a much more immediate, positive and long-lasting impact on this situation if he chose to put his people above his immediate political aims and, who knows, doing the first might have a positive impact on the second as well.
I too, have mixed feelings, but will find a way to give something. My thoughts are that the leaders of both Turkiye and Syria play both sides against the middle. (The middle being to their personal benefit.) Syria, especially, plays footsie with Russia and has mounted one of the cruelest campaigns against its own citizens in recent memory.
The White Helmets in Syria are an aid group not affiliated with the "official gov't" of Syria. Indeed, they are targets themselves, people who risk their lives to help people already at risk from the Syrian government, which is in bed with Russia, 100% of donations go directly to the White Helmets., who are onsite and actively rescuing and aiding people. Check their website: lots of good info that may put your mind at rest about donating. They were my first choice in the immediate aftermath.
Thanks, Dave. My choice is Mercy Corps. I used to live near their offices (well, the same state.) They have a record of a high ratio of donations going directly to the needy with relatively low administration costs. No doubt your choice is a good one. It's just that I'm familiar with MC. Thank you.
Dave, not that you are keeping tabs, but in the interest of truth in giving, I chose UNICEF instead for its 100% approval by charity evals. The orphaned children being pulled from the rubble made me do it!
I think you may be correct Dave. I get that Erdogan is trying leverage Sweden & Finland`s admission to Nato for some unstated political gains. We need citations to reliable facts on the gtound in Syria/Turkey ... Oxfam ?
Oxfam will probably come across, it might be too early to get real specifics. One hates to play politics with human lives and I hope that relief is already on the way but there should come a time when Mr. Blinken and some of his NATO counterparts sit down with Mr. Erdogan and explain to him in words of minimal syllables that, having been bailed out by his allies he now needs to reciprocate.
That's the base that is usually cited as one of the primary reasons for keeping Türkiye in NATO and not overtly p***ing Erdogan off. To be clear, I think sending aid to the victims of the earthquake is a good idea and I don't doubt that Incirlik will come in very handy, including the medical and commissary facilities. I just think there needs to be an explanation of political reality to the Turkish dictator.
Reporters on several cable channels including DWNews commented on how difficult it has been to even get to the area. Having the U.S. airbase relatively nearby will undoubtedly help aid to get closer to the destroyed areas.
I have close friends in Istanbul. I am so worried. Please send all healing energies to all the affected people. Biden’s statement of aid for the victims of this earthquake is very heartening.
I heard from Hasan! They are all ok in Istanbul! Hooray. But hundreds dead in the areas hit and numbers are rising. I am so relieved in the midst of sorrow….
What a relief for you. So it is when we have friends in places of tragedy. I will be sending reiki energy to you and to them and I will speak to my husband about donating to one or more of the organizations people have suggested. And I too am grateful for President Biden and our response.
Unbelievable that so many want a rerun of the chump calamity. Speaks to the power of propaganda as well as the power of greed and haughty ego. They seem to match the power of the most destructive earthquake. Seems that chump and destruction derby had just gotten started on the “laying waste the entire world” under the guise of MAGA. And for Joe, no good deed goes unpunished. May the forces of sanity drown out the vermin. And yes, Bill Maher, they won’t “self-deport” but maybe they can be driven back under the rocks whence they came. I dream…. Sorry for the rant, , you triggered my worst fears… flawed men’s inhumanity to their fellow men. They rival nature’s worst, so far…
I know, right? All of what you say is true. And yet, Mr. Roger's mother told him, "When there are tragedies, look for the helpers because there are always helpers." I believe that, in the midst of "flawed man's inhumanity to their fellow men," ( a powerful idea) there are flawed people moved by heartbreak to aid our fellow humans, and many of us are in this community. There's a balance and we just need to keep working to tip it towards the good in us. Blessings to all the victims and workers.
May I recommend a terrific (IMHO) "sci fi" fiction book by Kim Stanley Robinson: The Ministry of the Future. Just finished it. Not the "fights with martians in outer space" sci f that I've avoided over the decades, but a sober imagining of our global future set in 2043. It opens with a climate disaster in India, and develops the global impact and varied responses, both personal and international. Strong on science, international policy and economics. Leaves one with that gnawing feeling: "I just want to DO something!!" It seems all too pertinent to the present.
Robinson is a brilliant man who writes from a position of deep knowledge of all of the subjects he writes on then extrapolates into the future, in one case the far distant future. I discovered him in 2012 when I spotted his book titled "2312". Really far out both literally and figuratively. I then proceeded to his "Science in the Capital" (near term impacts of climate change); the Mars Trilogy (wherein, in books 2 & 3, we see the worldwide impacts of climate change).
His first books, also a trilogy, Three Californias, were less enjoyable for me to read; I think he was just building his writing and story-telling skills. I tried to read The Years of Rice and Salt and The Ministry for the Future but bogged down plus the part of The Ministry for the Future felt too depressingly real-life reportage; India just last year experienced the massive heat wave described in this 2020 book.
Antarctica was fascinating reading and after I read the Mars Trilogy, I realized that this novel ties into the Mars Trilogy (and not about climate change).
Here's a link for his books. I see a couple of more recent titles that I've overlooked and will now get.
Whose counterpart is "there are flawed people moved by heartbreak to aid our fellow humans", which were the words Chaplain Terry followed up your quote from her post. I believe these are our country's saving grace. Not perfect, but we keep trying, and we can make a difference that changes the trajectory of tragedy
That is my most fervent wish as well, Jeri: "May the forces of sanity grow out the vermin...and maybe they can be driven back under the rocks from whence they came..." My dream and visualization. Daily.
I read that, and decided to withhold opinion. The news lately has been skewed, and that means that any polls will also be skewed. The WaPo has not been doing well when it comes to prognostication. And without knowing how this poll was structured or what its thrust was, we have no way of knowing exactly what the people interviewed (were people interviewed?) actually had on their minds. Remember all the polls prior to the mid-terms? Pretty much off the mark. So I'm going to just set this one aside, given the context, and wait and see what pops up with some reliable analysis, WaPo lost that some time back.
You are a beautiful person, Janet. Thank you. I am sick with worry. I have written to them. There may be no communication from those areas if the electrical connections were destroyed in the earthquake. Again, thank you.
Elizabeth, my thoughts also, are with you and only hope your friends are alright. Janet, you are right...so many refugees experiencing yet another tragedy.
The support of this community alone is the “wind beneath my wings”. My friends live in Istanbul. I will look on Google maps for where the destruction has hit. Thank you, Janet.
Indeed, let's bring comfort and life to these people. I'd so much prefer building an economy founded on making lives better than marketing weapons and resisting pressures to see so many others as "enemies." My heart goes out to those exposed to the winter who have had so little of the safety and comfort that we had our entire lives. It's another reminder to take none of our good fortune for granted.
Türkiye is a member of NATO so I hope that humanitarian aid from NATO for Türkiye can be set up in a way that it can be delivered to those affected in Syria as well. That northwestern corner of Syria was in rebel (“our” rebels) hands a while back. I have not been following events there ever since Trump insisted he was pulling out all US troops, thus abandoning our Kurd allies who had done our fighting in eliminating ISIS, and infuriating General Mathis so much that he quit as Defense Secretary. I gather that not all US troops were pulled out entirely, but it was bad. Anyhow Assad may not be very eager to rush aid to the earthquake victims himself.
This is one of the things that make me proud to be an American, the willingness. when we have a decent administration to step up to help others in need, without expecting recompense.
yes I'm aware of that, Not once has President Biden ridiculed our State because of a natural disaster. Among the trumpsters unforgivable declarations was his advice that if only we Californians would sweep the forest floors we wouldn't have raging forest fires. You can bet that if he or DeSatan were president they'd be asking what they could get out of this disaster.
In Humboldt County, CA right before Christmas we had a 6.4 magnitude w/ unique properties that sort of amplified the quake effect (our resident quake whisperer, Lori Dengler, published several news pieces about it, here is one: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2022/dec/31/econews-report-californias-third-shakiest-earthqua/). I am located in the north part of the county, so not as hard hit, and am still finding toppled things….but at least my post ‘n pier foundation held (old house!). It was scary and in the wee hours of the night….and am glad that I have a plethora of battery lanterns (lent some to neighbors who were without), as electricity was out for sometime…some locations for many days. Everyone came together to help one another, just the right thing to do. Only wish I had a magic wand to help those in Turkey….glad that the help is pouring in….
Take good care, Barbara. Thanks for your experience. I have lived through some “mild” earthquakes in LA, but they are quite scary. I have heard in the last hour from my close friends in Istanbul. They are all ok, but the area hardest hit has over 300 dead and rising.
There was property damage here & many houses ‘red tagged’ as unlivable until repaired, but the handful of related deaths were because of existing medical emergencies precipitated by the quake (heart attack, etc) & not specific quake injuries…..but still, the impact is felt. Our geographical area is an intersection of several faults & the Pacific plate….shaky ground indeed. One cannot predict a quake, unlike storms that produce hurricanes, tornadoes, etc…at least a bit of warning….and I sometimes wonder where it is “safe” to live!
Heart rending….”Safe” is not in our dictionary anymore, unfortunately. I live in rural India and the heat is a big problem here. People are out for their daily rounds and die from heat stroke. I stay inside under a fan (IF there is current…) for four months. OMG
Sadly, you’ll be searching for sometime for this ‘safe place’. I’m not sure there is one. You are Roth in a hurricane season, potential for flooding, drought, windstorms, tornadoes, forest fires, or some other natural phenomenon this great earth had to offer. Sad part is this, of the list I just gave, climate change is the largest cause of most of them. And THAT is controllable by us, the people.
Your comment on battery lanterns prompted me to share about our solar powered lanterns. The history of the two young women entrepreneurs is a heart warming read at a moment of such a terrible tragedy. https://luminaid.com/pages/luminaid-shark-tank-update
Thank you, Barbara. So typical of we, Californians. When disaster strikes we worry about others, not just ourselves. Take care Barbara and know the rest of us care too.
But adored by many, so infuriating that the MAGAts are not made to face the reality of their delusions by Rupert and now our MSM. Almost blew up my tv Sat listening to 2 minutes of Chuck Todd on NBC.q
Horrible, horrible news. A less powerful quake, 7.4 magnitude, killed tens of thousands there in 1999. Let’s hope the toll now is nothing close to that.
Professor, thank you for making this earthquake the major story that it is and President Biden immediately working to coordinate aide through USAID and the countries affected. For all people living in this disaster, there is nothing else, but life and death and hope for tomorrow. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake is devastating to the people, animals and buildings, the land of a country, but add that “The area is also home to millions of Syrians who fled the fighting in other parts of the country. Many live in refugee camps or basic tented settlements established amid the olive groves that run along the border with Turkey.” Imagine living through war, living in bombed out buildings and tent villages and now a devastating earthquake. I can imagine because we are all human together on this planet. With same human needs and now and again the need is for assistance from US and every aid agency and United Nations to provide as fast as is humanly possible. Of course aide and rescue crews will help, but what happens to the people while they wait for rescue, medical assistance, food, water, shelter? And it’s winter. “The earthquake in northern Syria hit parts of the country that have already been devastated by more than a decade of civil war. In Idlib and Aleppo provinces, basic infrastructure has already been badly damaged by the war.” The poorest and most vulnerable people now virtually homeless. Everything lost. Hunger and poverty and War were not enough. How will we help the children? What does future mean? “A powerful earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria - https://www.npr.org/2023/02/05/1154719598/turkey-syria-earthquake”
Hugh, the report of damage is so devastating that there may be little chance that trees aren’t uprooted and temporary shelters not damaged. We can hope.
Hugh, I grew up in earthquake country. In a small quake, trees tremble and sway. In a medium quake they might break or topple as the earth shakes, and unreinforced buildings might collapse. In a quake like this one the earth does not merely shake: it heaves like something alive and very powerful. Trees can be pushed right out of the ground or be swallowed by it. I have experienced a medium quake and I was out the door and in the middle of my neighbors wide lawn in seconds. Where I grew up is waiting for an any-minute now quake that will devastate cities and drop mountains. Your hopeful concern is commendable, and I am glad that you have not ever had to experience a quake. But your innocence of the kind of damage these people are experiencing brings tears to my eyes. I hope you never do experience one.
I can not and will not pretend I understand going through such devastation. The worst I have been through was outage from a powerful hurricane for a few days. Thankfully we have amazing teams of caring , professionals who go out immediately to help those in need.
This earthquake destroying people and their "tent homes" is so heartrending. Fleeing one terror to be destroyed by another.
Our family did help with Katrinia recovery. We slept on makeshift cots and showered in heavy plastic walled enclosures. There were teams who were there to prepare our meals. My youngest could not come but gave blood. This was only a small offering of one week.
Yes, we have disaster and loss here, for some they have lost their homes forever, being washed away in floods or destroyed by fire ....land washed away or crops destroyed....but most are able to recover something.
I suppose each of us has lost enough at one time or another to have compassion for others. This is surely another time for us to be called to compassion...to help others in need.
Emily, yes, thank you! You describe the temporary displacements or losses we might face in our “first world” existence, but thousands of people living in tents and squalor all their lives, is much different. Disease, including pandemics, starvation, violence. Some people are victims of natural disasters, but many more of corrupt governments and war. It is unimaginable because it is.
One way for America to grow its economy and create high paying jobs is to replace China as the world's builder, whether it is our own infrastructure, building green sustainable housing for the world, rebuilding Ukraine, rebuilding due to natural disasters like the one that just struck, and building to house migrants due to the growing climate change diaspora.
China has grown its global influence in emerging economies by infrastructure deals that are paid for by being granted rights to natural resources by corrupt government officials there. The local people have their environment destroyed and are paid next to nothing in wages.
We have the logistics and ability to innovate to do this and with administrations here willing to negotiate fair agreements for payment (that is a big if) we can set up win-win situations.
Really glad to hear that President Biden is already on the ball to send humanitarian aid ASAP just hope and pray 🙏 we can make a difference 🙏 after all we are all God's children and Jesus was a refugee too 🙏
Inferno fires, biblical floods, torrential rains, historic snows, deep-freezing temperatures, unheard earthquakes, and a rush of never-recorded weather events questions what we have wrought!
Don’t hold your breath. We still have our group of TFGs sheep in Congress that’ll bitch and complain about us rendering aid and spending a dollar to send food and help to the affected areas of the globe for this disaster.
Just another reason on top of a tall stack of reasons to vote them all out of office ASAP!
Yes. This undercurrent of “American exceptionalism’ and isolationism will surely float to the surface, hidden by rhetoric of “we have our own problems to solve”, as this hits the right wing media.
I’m thoroughly enjoying the watch of “The End of the Republican Party, as We Once Knew It” continues. I can’t wait for Hollywood to release the movie on this. It’s going to be epic!
Yes. I live on an extremely small pension from Florida because I was forced to retire early and was refused a medical retirement. The folks in the retirement office knew more about my medical conditions than my doctors did, I guess. Also, I receive social security benefits that’s not a lot better. All in all, my monthly income is just a few dollars above $2,000 a month now. My rent is $1,600 a month and increases yearly. So I’m extremely concerned about this.
Also, when the government runs outbid money, our active servicemen and women paychecks all cease, immediately. They will not receive any pay, yet, our Representatives and Senators paychecks all continue. Something bad is wrong with this picture.
And now, contrary to anyone’s belief, even though Kevin McFarty holds the gavel and sits in the chair, you can get your bottom dollar that he’s taking all instructions on what to do from MTG. She’s always in the pictures with him, one step back to the right. She’s running the House right now!
I dunno. As I watch her cozying up to him, what it makes me think of is someone who has spent a lifetime trying to create an illusion of accomplishment and power. She started doing this as McCarthy was recognizing that his power was tenuous and trying to appease the wrong people (she being one of them). But I believe her view of him is as gateway to the appearance of influence, because the truth is she has none. Nada. Her approach was slow, a pat on the shoulder, positioning herself close to him but not too close at first, but gradually increasing her presence until she became the trusted figure that McCarthy lacks right now. Then, she became his "buddy" in appearance, and he seemed to need that in the uncertainty of the outcome of the Speaker elections. But I don't believe for a minute that he is taking her instructions. He is slimy, but he is also a strategist in his own right. My bet is that before the end of this year's session, he will have found a more suitable hanger-on to salve his ego. MTG is incapable of "running" anything. She certainly is not running the House through McCarthy. She just wants to give that appearance.
Heather, thank you for bringing together multiple voices about this humanitarian crisis. Thank heaven for President Biden’s leadership and empathy as well as the kindness of the US toward those affected.
Multiple voices are terrific; multiple humanitarian efforts even better. Three suggestions for those of us here to send gift support to if we have the means:
www.whitehelmets.org - a volunteer group working at the front lines in Syria. They are literally in the middle already and working to find survivors.
www.wck.org World Central Kitchen. This group is also already on the ground and serving meals.
www.oxfam.org. This is the international group, as opposed to Oxfam America. Again, they are already in the region, and importantly, will continue to work in the region after this crisis is over.
If you are able, these groups could use our support.
Also:
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/turkiye-turkey
Thank you Sheila. I already support WCK monthly, will send more.
Thank you for being a monthly supporter ! I just learned about them last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Such an effective group!
Thank you - I just donated to all three, plus MSF/Doctors Without Borders.
Excellent, Seth. Thanks for your generosity!
Thanks for link..I support WCK monthly... but now will also support White Helmuts
Thank you, Sheila. Years ago I was in touch with a small group of people- men and women- who had formed a emergency response team during the civil war. I admired them for their bravery and commitment and sent what I could to help, then lost touch with them as the war escalated and they were forced to evacuate where they were. I suspect they were among the groups who came together to form the White Helmits. In their honor I sent a donation to the White Helmets. I so appreciate the link.
Thanks, just donated to white helmets.
✅
Ditto. Pres Biden gets my respect for his international savvy. We've not seen any president who is so knowledgeable since WWII days.
I think Obama was equal at least. Clinton as well.
No doubt. However, Biden's amazing coalition building, done quickly and broadly for confronting Russia and China gets my respect. It reflects his long history and knowledge of governing with finesse and firmness. I hope! BTW, I have always thought that Pres Obama did not get the well deserved respect for routing out bin Laden.
A 7.8 magnitude is catastrophic- and in the middle of winter is even more tragic. Those poor people. Thank heavens we have a President experienced in international affairs and with a competent and knowledgeable staff.
"We were shaken like a cradle. There were nine of us at home. Two sons of mine are still in the rubble, I'm waiting for them," ‘said a woman with a broken arm and injuries to her face, speaking in an ambulance near the wreckage of a seven-story block where she had lived in Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey.’
'ISTANBUL — A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey early Monday killed more than 1,600 people across the country and in neighboring Syria, officials said, as rescuers searched flattened buildings in frigid weather for survivors. The earthquake — felt as far away as Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Egypt — occurred in Kahramanmaras province, north of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.'
'It was followed by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in southeastern Turkey on Monday afternoon, as well as dozens of powerful aftershocks. Most of the damage is in southern Turkey and northern and central Syria.'
'___ from the US, The Turkish Philanthropy Funds has teamed up with 13 different organisations based in the ground that are already working to help people recover from the devastating earthquake.'
https://www.tpfund.org/
“The combination of large magnitude and shallow depth made this earthquake extremely destructive," Mohammad Kashani, Associate Professor of Structural and Earthquake Engineering at the University of Southampton, said.
'LIKE THE APOCALYPSE'
‘Aleppo health director Ziad Hage Taha told Reuters wounded people were "arriving in waves".
‘Syrian state television showed footage of rescue teams searching for survivors in heavy rain and sleet.’
And as we give to relief organizations, send a small sum to the Democrats, remembering that if Republicans are in power, no more US international aid in situations like this. MAGA is not generous.
Where I live the best-funded mayoral candidate has been involved in the national attempt to kill public schools by supporting vouchers. We need to start with supporting public schools, paying teachers a living wage, reducing class sizes, weeding those who would ban books. Racism is at the root of so much that you abhor and is the major stumbling block to our fulfilling our dream of true democracy. The MAGA crowd, many or most of whom have never had a course in American history or civics, do not or cannot understand the importance of the word “ freedom,” and as the middle class recedes so the super rich can prosper, the MAGA crowd will grow.
Thé importance of the Biden presidency is Joe Biden’s taught resiliency. And that he was truly middle class with all the privileges of that.
MAGA is clueless. They are also not generous to average Americans.
Correct. MAGA is nothing but a hate group.
Domestic terrorists in control of Congress. Thank you. MTG and Co. have become so “normal,” that some days I forget their vote for the Big Lie and her asking that Ashley Babbitt be declared a “martyr.” With 2024 elections, May voters see that unless the MAGAs are voted out, we remain in grave danger. When Trump joined the dictators of the world and with further help from Russia took many Americans with him, we were endangered. Now, with Russia’s continuing help and Chinese factories on our doorstep in Mexico, we are even moreso.
'Almost 3,000 buildings collapsed across Turkey alone after the initial quake, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. More than 1,760 people died and 5,000 people were injured. “We do not know where the number of dead and injured can go,” he said.'
'In Syria, rescue workers used headlamps and flood lights to work throughout the night. More than 1,250 people were dead and thousands more injured across the country. Turkey also hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, the most in the world from that conflict, according to the U.N. refugee agency, which runs one of its largest operations from Gaziantep.'
'Videos shared on social media from Turkey and across the border in Syria showed destroyed buildings and rescue crews searching through piles of rubble for survivors. Some people fled their homes in the rain and took shelter in cars in near-freezing temperatures.'
'Governments around the world quickly responded to Turkey’s request for international assistance, deploying rescue teams and offers of aid.'
International Rescue Committeehttps://www.rescue.org
Help us send emergency aid to Turkey, Syria and crisis zones worldwide. Donate Now.
https://help.rescue.org/donate/syria-earthquake
Fern, you need to go back in and edit the link to IRC. You inadvertently failed to put a space before the url; otherwise it won't work. That said, thank you for all you've been posting in today's Letter.
We wanted to make sure that this incredibly urgent email from our Emergency Response Team at the top of your inbox Monday morning. Is there any way you can help?
BREAKING NEWS: Two back–to–back earthquakes at the Turkish–Syrian border: more than 1,700 dead after 7.8 and 7.5–magnitude quakes, with numbers expected to rise.
You can use this link to immediately rush your emergency donation for children and families in Turkey and Syria and in crisis zones worldwide: https://help.rescue.org/donate/syria-earthquake
'...this is an awful and rapidly developing emergency. We're ramping up our efforts to raise emergency response funds now.
The IRC has been working in Syria since 2012. IRC teams are on the ground now and working tirelessly to ensure the safety and well–being of our staff, local partners and those affected and assessing the area as the situation develops.
My first thought reading this this morning is will our “America First” contingent in Congress who complain about aid to Ukraine complain about this too?
Reading about the gas lines I can only think if we went to clean energy and didn’t have so much free flowing gas would these disasters be easier to deal with during rescue.
I will send an extra donation to these agencies. Thank you for the links.
Epicenter: Gaziantep, NNE of Aleppo just across the border in Syria. MONDAY UPDATE: 3 pm Eastern: Per Hallie Jackson, msnbc: Above 3500 deceased per Turkish Officials. The site is not far from US Air Base at Incirclik, Turkey. There was a major after shock of 7.5 on Monday. After shocks continue on a NW line following a Turkish Fault Line.
It's a pity that Türkiye can't say the same. Mr. Erdogan could have a much more immediate, positive and long-lasting impact on this situation if he chose to put his people above his immediate political aims and, who knows, doing the first might have a positive impact on the second as well.
I too, have mixed feelings, but will find a way to give something. My thoughts are that the leaders of both Turkiye and Syria play both sides against the middle. (The middle being to their personal benefit.) Syria, especially, plays footsie with Russia and has mounted one of the cruelest campaigns against its own citizens in recent memory.
The White Helmets in Syria are an aid group not affiliated with the "official gov't" of Syria. Indeed, they are targets themselves, people who risk their lives to help people already at risk from the Syrian government, which is in bed with Russia, 100% of donations go directly to the White Helmets., who are onsite and actively rescuing and aiding people. Check their website: lots of good info that may put your mind at rest about donating. They were my first choice in the immediate aftermath.
They do seem admirable. Thank you. I can't imagine the horrific ongoing traumas they all experience.
My donations go through Jose Andres' World Central Kitchens. He's a straight up guy and seems to have a knack for getting things done.
Thanks, Dave. My choice is Mercy Corps. I used to live near their offices (well, the same state.) They have a record of a high ratio of donations going directly to the needy with relatively low administration costs. No doubt your choice is a good one. It's just that I'm familiar with MC. Thank you.
There is no such thing as bad help in a situation like this Hope. Mercy Corps has a good reputation too.
Dave, not that you are keeping tabs, but in the interest of truth in giving, I chose UNICEF instead for its 100% approval by charity evals. The orphaned children being pulled from the rubble made me do it!
I think you may be correct Dave. I get that Erdogan is trying leverage Sweden & Finland`s admission to Nato for some unstated political gains. We need citations to reliable facts on the gtound in Syria/Turkey ... Oxfam ?
Oxfam will probably come across, it might be too early to get real specifics. One hates to play politics with human lives and I hope that relief is already on the way but there should come a time when Mr. Blinken and some of his NATO counterparts sit down with Mr. Erdogan and explain to him in words of minimal syllables that, having been bailed out by his allies he now needs to reciprocate.
There is a nearby US Air Base at Incirclik, Turkey.
That's the base that is usually cited as one of the primary reasons for keeping Türkiye in NATO and not overtly p***ing Erdogan off. To be clear, I think sending aid to the victims of the earthquake is a good idea and I don't doubt that Incirlik will come in very handy, including the medical and commissary facilities. I just think there needs to be an explanation of political reality to the Turkish dictator.
Concur.
Reporters on several cable channels including DWNews commented on how difficult it has been to even get to the area. Having the U.S. airbase relatively nearby will undoubtedly help aid to get closer to the destroyed areas.
I have close friends in Istanbul. I am so worried. Please send all healing energies to all the affected people. Biden’s statement of aid for the victims of this earthquake is very heartening.
I have friends with relatives in Turkey. Istanbul on other side??? Not hurt. ?? Good luck everyone because Nature will prevail.
I heard from Hasan! They are all ok in Istanbul! Hooray. But hundreds dead in the areas hit and numbers are rising. I am so relieved in the midst of sorrow….
Elizabeth, I’m so glad that your friends are okay. That’s a blessing.
That’s wonderful!!
What a relief for you. So it is when we have friends in places of tragedy. I will be sending reiki energy to you and to them and I will speak to my husband about donating to one or more of the organizations people have suggested. And I too am grateful for President Biden and our response.
Glad you heard from your friends and that they are OK in the midst of that chaos.
Unbelievable that so many want a rerun of the chump calamity. Speaks to the power of propaganda as well as the power of greed and haughty ego. They seem to match the power of the most destructive earthquake. Seems that chump and destruction derby had just gotten started on the “laying waste the entire world” under the guise of MAGA. And for Joe, no good deed goes unpunished. May the forces of sanity drown out the vermin. And yes, Bill Maher, they won’t “self-deport” but maybe they can be driven back under the rocks whence they came. I dream…. Sorry for the rant, , you triggered my worst fears… flawed men’s inhumanity to their fellow men. They rival nature’s worst, so far…
I know, right? All of what you say is true. And yet, Mr. Roger's mother told him, "When there are tragedies, look for the helpers because there are always helpers." I believe that, in the midst of "flawed man's inhumanity to their fellow men," ( a powerful idea) there are flawed people moved by heartbreak to aid our fellow humans, and many of us are in this community. There's a balance and we just need to keep working to tip it towards the good in us. Blessings to all the victims and workers.
May I recommend a terrific (IMHO) "sci fi" fiction book by Kim Stanley Robinson: The Ministry of the Future. Just finished it. Not the "fights with martians in outer space" sci f that I've avoided over the decades, but a sober imagining of our global future set in 2043. It opens with a climate disaster in India, and develops the global impact and varied responses, both personal and international. Strong on science, international policy and economics. Leaves one with that gnawing feeling: "I just want to DO something!!" It seems all too pertinent to the present.
His ‘New York 2140’ is also an interesting read…a cli-fi (climate fiction) genre book.
Robinson is a brilliant man who writes from a position of deep knowledge of all of the subjects he writes on then extrapolates into the future, in one case the far distant future. I discovered him in 2012 when I spotted his book titled "2312". Really far out both literally and figuratively. I then proceeded to his "Science in the Capital" (near term impacts of climate change); the Mars Trilogy (wherein, in books 2 & 3, we see the worldwide impacts of climate change).
His first books, also a trilogy, Three Californias, were less enjoyable for me to read; I think he was just building his writing and story-telling skills. I tried to read The Years of Rice and Salt and The Ministry for the Future but bogged down plus the part of The Ministry for the Future felt too depressingly real-life reportage; India just last year experienced the massive heat wave described in this 2020 book.
Antarctica was fascinating reading and after I read the Mars Trilogy, I realized that this novel ties into the Mars Trilogy (and not about climate change).
Here's a link for his books. I see a couple of more recent titles that I've overlooked and will now get.
https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/kim-stanley-robinson/
“Flawed men’s inhumanity to their fellow men” . I fear that may be our country’s fatal flaw.
Whose counterpart is "there are flawed people moved by heartbreak to aid our fellow humans", which were the words Chaplain Terry followed up your quote from her post. I believe these are our country's saving grace. Not perfect, but we keep trying, and we can make a difference that changes the trajectory of tragedy
That is my most fervent wish as well, Jeri: "May the forces of sanity grow out the vermin...and maybe they can be driven back under the rocks from whence they came..." My dream and visualization. Daily.
I read that, and decided to withhold opinion. The news lately has been skewed, and that means that any polls will also be skewed. The WaPo has not been doing well when it comes to prognostication. And without knowing how this poll was structured or what its thrust was, we have no way of knowing exactly what the people interviewed (were people interviewed?) actually had on their minds. Remember all the polls prior to the mid-terms? Pretty much off the mark. So I'm going to just set this one aside, given the context, and wait and see what pops up with some reliable analysis, WaPo lost that some time back.
You are a beautiful person, Janet. Thank you. I am sick with worry. I have written to them. There may be no communication from those areas if the electrical connections were destroyed in the earthquake. Again, thank you.
Elizabeth, my thoughts also, are with you and only hope your friends are alright. Janet, you are right...so many refugees experiencing yet another tragedy.
They are alright! Thank you, Marlene ❤️
The support of this community alone is the “wind beneath my wings”. My friends live in Istanbul. I will look on Google maps for where the destruction has hit. Thank you, Janet.
Indeed, let's bring comfort and life to these people. I'd so much prefer building an economy founded on making lives better than marketing weapons and resisting pressures to see so many others as "enemies." My heart goes out to those exposed to the winter who have had so little of the safety and comfort that we had our entire lives. It's another reminder to take none of our good fortune for granted.
I know not of that world, but want my country to be there rendering aid however is possible.
Yes. It’s our world, Lynette. We embrace and know it through our humanness and that we are a global society now.
Salud, friend and compatriot.
🗽
Türkiye is a member of NATO so I hope that humanitarian aid from NATO for Türkiye can be set up in a way that it can be delivered to those affected in Syria as well. That northwestern corner of Syria was in rebel (“our” rebels) hands a while back. I have not been following events there ever since Trump insisted he was pulling out all US troops, thus abandoning our Kurd allies who had done our fighting in eliminating ISIS, and infuriating General Mathis so much that he quit as Defense Secretary. I gather that not all US troops were pulled out entirely, but it was bad. Anyhow Assad may not be very eager to rush aid to the earthquake victims himself.
There will be aid from UNHCR, they are already there in the refugee camps.
Sharon I believe that we have hundreds of troops in a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria.
This is one of the things that make me proud to be an American, the willingness. when we have a decent administration to step up to help others in need, without expecting recompense.
Fay, Biden has also been helping all of America, providing support for communities affected by climate disasters raging everywhere in the US. OMG
yes I'm aware of that, Not once has President Biden ridiculed our State because of a natural disaster. Among the trumpsters unforgivable declarations was his advice that if only we Californians would sweep the forest floors we wouldn't have raging forest fires. You can bet that if he or DeSatan were president they'd be asking what they could get out of this disaster.
In Humboldt County, CA right before Christmas we had a 6.4 magnitude w/ unique properties that sort of amplified the quake effect (our resident quake whisperer, Lori Dengler, published several news pieces about it, here is one: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2022/dec/31/econews-report-californias-third-shakiest-earthqua/). I am located in the north part of the county, so not as hard hit, and am still finding toppled things….but at least my post ‘n pier foundation held (old house!). It was scary and in the wee hours of the night….and am glad that I have a plethora of battery lanterns (lent some to neighbors who were without), as electricity was out for sometime…some locations for many days. Everyone came together to help one another, just the right thing to do. Only wish I had a magic wand to help those in Turkey….glad that the help is pouring in….
Take good care, Barbara. Thanks for your experience. I have lived through some “mild” earthquakes in LA, but they are quite scary. I have heard in the last hour from my close friends in Istanbul. They are all ok, but the area hardest hit has over 300 dead and rising.
There was property damage here & many houses ‘red tagged’ as unlivable until repaired, but the handful of related deaths were because of existing medical emergencies precipitated by the quake (heart attack, etc) & not specific quake injuries…..but still, the impact is felt. Our geographical area is an intersection of several faults & the Pacific plate….shaky ground indeed. One cannot predict a quake, unlike storms that produce hurricanes, tornadoes, etc…at least a bit of warning….and I sometimes wonder where it is “safe” to live!
Heart rending….”Safe” is not in our dictionary anymore, unfortunately. I live in rural India and the heat is a big problem here. People are out for their daily rounds and die from heat stroke. I stay inside under a fan (IF there is current…) for four months. OMG
Sadly, you’ll be searching for sometime for this ‘safe place’. I’m not sure there is one. You are Roth in a hurricane season, potential for flooding, drought, windstorms, tornadoes, forest fires, or some other natural phenomenon this great earth had to offer. Sad part is this, of the list I just gave, climate change is the largest cause of most of them. And THAT is controllable by us, the people.
Your comment on battery lanterns prompted me to share about our solar powered lanterns. The history of the two young women entrepreneurs is a heart warming read at a moment of such a terrible tragedy. https://luminaid.com/pages/luminaid-shark-tank-update
Barbara's valuable LInk inlcudes Thomas Dunklin's 'tour' of the "Mendocino Triple Junction". Their are unique fault conditions in Turkey as well.
Thank you, Barbara. So typical of we, Californians. When disaster strikes we worry about others, not just ourselves. Take care Barbara and know the rest of us care too.
Fay, of course you are so correct. Dump always made me cringe when a disaster happened. They are sick, sick humans.
I think you mean cringe "even more" when a disaster happened. I have had a constant cringe since November 2016. And it has not let up....
Yes, all the time. Permanent cringe…oh, Lord.
But adored by many, so infuriating that the MAGAts are not made to face the reality of their delusions by Rupert and now our MSM. Almost blew up my tv Sat listening to 2 minutes of Chuck Todd on NBC.q
Horrible, horrible news. A less powerful quake, 7.4 magnitude, killed tens of thousands there in 1999. Let’s hope the toll now is nothing close to that.
Absolutely tragic disaster!
Professor, thank you for making this earthquake the major story that it is and President Biden immediately working to coordinate aide through USAID and the countries affected. For all people living in this disaster, there is nothing else, but life and death and hope for tomorrow. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake is devastating to the people, animals and buildings, the land of a country, but add that “The area is also home to millions of Syrians who fled the fighting in other parts of the country. Many live in refugee camps or basic tented settlements established amid the olive groves that run along the border with Turkey.” Imagine living through war, living in bombed out buildings and tent villages and now a devastating earthquake. I can imagine because we are all human together on this planet. With same human needs and now and again the need is for assistance from US and every aid agency and United Nations to provide as fast as is humanly possible. Of course aide and rescue crews will help, but what happens to the people while they wait for rescue, medical assistance, food, water, shelter? And it’s winter. “The earthquake in northern Syria hit parts of the country that have already been devastated by more than a decade of civil war. In Idlib and Aleppo provinces, basic infrastructure has already been badly damaged by the war.” The poorest and most vulnerable people now virtually homeless. Everything lost. Hunger and poverty and War were not enough. How will we help the children? What does future mean? “A powerful earthquake strikes Turkey and Syria - https://www.npr.org/2023/02/05/1154719598/turkey-syria-earthquake”
At least the tents in the olive groves would not have been directly affected by the quake. So some will have shelter. Small mercies?
Hugh, the report of damage is so devastating that there may be little chance that trees aren’t uprooted and temporary shelters not damaged. We can hope.
Hopefully trees (especially old olive trees) are pretty well rooted. Windstorms are another issue.
Hugh, I grew up in earthquake country. In a small quake, trees tremble and sway. In a medium quake they might break or topple as the earth shakes, and unreinforced buildings might collapse. In a quake like this one the earth does not merely shake: it heaves like something alive and very powerful. Trees can be pushed right out of the ground or be swallowed by it. I have experienced a medium quake and I was out the door and in the middle of my neighbors wide lawn in seconds. Where I grew up is waiting for an any-minute now quake that will devastate cities and drop mountains. Your hopeful concern is commendable, and I am glad that you have not ever had to experience a quake. But your innocence of the kind of damage these people are experiencing brings tears to my eyes. I hope you never do experience one.
That's farly rugged terrain. USGS reports a significant risk, or perhaps incidence, of landslides and of liquefaction.
Not "liking" what you are describing, of course, but appreciating you adding this info. Thank you.
I can not and will not pretend I understand going through such devastation. The worst I have been through was outage from a powerful hurricane for a few days. Thankfully we have amazing teams of caring , professionals who go out immediately to help those in need.
This earthquake destroying people and their "tent homes" is so heartrending. Fleeing one terror to be destroyed by another.
Our family did help with Katrinia recovery. We slept on makeshift cots and showered in heavy plastic walled enclosures. There were teams who were there to prepare our meals. My youngest could not come but gave blood. This was only a small offering of one week.
Yes, we have disaster and loss here, for some they have lost their homes forever, being washed away in floods or destroyed by fire ....land washed away or crops destroyed....but most are able to recover something.
I suppose each of us has lost enough at one time or another to have compassion for others. This is surely another time for us to be called to compassion...to help others in need.
Emily, yes, thank you! You describe the temporary displacements or losses we might face in our “first world” existence, but thousands of people living in tents and squalor all their lives, is much different. Disease, including pandemics, starvation, violence. Some people are victims of natural disasters, but many more of corrupt governments and war. It is unimaginable because it is.
One way for America to grow its economy and create high paying jobs is to replace China as the world's builder, whether it is our own infrastructure, building green sustainable housing for the world, rebuilding Ukraine, rebuilding due to natural disasters like the one that just struck, and building to house migrants due to the growing climate change diaspora.
China has grown its global influence in emerging economies by infrastructure deals that are paid for by being granted rights to natural resources by corrupt government officials there. The local people have their environment destroyed and are paid next to nothing in wages.
We have the logistics and ability to innovate to do this and with administrations here willing to negotiate fair agreements for payment (that is a big if) we can set up win-win situations.
Big if indeed
Thanks for sharing updates with us
Really glad to hear that President Biden is already on the ball to send humanitarian aid ASAP just hope and pray 🙏 we can make a difference 🙏 after all we are all God's children and Jesus was a refugee too 🙏
As a Californian I have this way in the back of my mind. Very sad to hear this news.
I do too, Evelyn.
Inferno fires, biblical floods, torrential rains, historic snows, deep-freezing temperatures, unheard earthquakes, and a rush of never-recorded weather events questions what we have wrought!
If simple human kindness cannot bring us together, maybe disaster on one's own continent can. Looking for some simple human kindness.
Don’t hold your breath. We still have our group of TFGs sheep in Congress that’ll bitch and complain about us rendering aid and spending a dollar to send food and help to the affected areas of the globe for this disaster.
Just another reason on top of a tall stack of reasons to vote them all out of office ASAP!
Yes. This undercurrent of “American exceptionalism’ and isolationism will surely float to the surface, hidden by rhetoric of “we have our own problems to solve”, as this hits the right wing media.
I’m thoroughly enjoying the watch of “The End of the Republican Party, as We Once Knew It” continues. I can’t wait for Hollywood to release the movie on this. It’s going to be epic!
Yes. I live on an extremely small pension from Florida because I was forced to retire early and was refused a medical retirement. The folks in the retirement office knew more about my medical conditions than my doctors did, I guess. Also, I receive social security benefits that’s not a lot better. All in all, my monthly income is just a few dollars above $2,000 a month now. My rent is $1,600 a month and increases yearly. So I’m extremely concerned about this.
Also, when the government runs outbid money, our active servicemen and women paychecks all cease, immediately. They will not receive any pay, yet, our Representatives and Senators paychecks all continue. Something bad is wrong with this picture.
Yes. Makes me sick. I’d like to have MTGs salary snd she can have mine. See how she likes that!!!
Or indict them...would be faster and more appropriate considering their hatred of democracy and immaturity.
Yes. Every damn one of them, along with TFG, should have already been indicted. It’s WAY OVERDUE!
And now, contrary to anyone’s belief, even though Kevin McFarty holds the gavel and sits in the chair, you can get your bottom dollar that he’s taking all instructions on what to do from MTG. She’s always in the pictures with him, one step back to the right. She’s running the House right now!
I dunno. As I watch her cozying up to him, what it makes me think of is someone who has spent a lifetime trying to create an illusion of accomplishment and power. She started doing this as McCarthy was recognizing that his power was tenuous and trying to appease the wrong people (she being one of them). But I believe her view of him is as gateway to the appearance of influence, because the truth is she has none. Nada. Her approach was slow, a pat on the shoulder, positioning herself close to him but not too close at first, but gradually increasing her presence until she became the trusted figure that McCarthy lacks right now. Then, she became his "buddy" in appearance, and he seemed to need that in the uncertainty of the outcome of the Speaker elections. But I don't believe for a minute that he is taking her instructions. He is slimy, but he is also a strategist in his own right. My bet is that before the end of this year's session, he will have found a more suitable hanger-on to salve his ego. MTG is incapable of "running" anything. She certainly is not running the House through McCarthy. She just wants to give that appearance.
Reading you analysis I have a tendency to agree with you. I hope you’re correct, but only time will tell.
Nature is so powerful. It can be so beautiful but also destructive. Praying for the multitude of refugees over such a large expanse