Earthquake in Turkey

I hadn't seen the news or heard about the 7.2 magnitude quake, which so far has 366 reported deaths and many more missing, until my surfer's sister had contacted her asking her if she was okay and that her mother was worried. We were both looking at each other puzzled as we spent a relaxing evening watching the latest Modern Family episodes and previewing Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

So when we got the news we didn't realize how bad it was until we saw live coverage on the tv at a restaurant. The extent of the damage was mind numbing.

Now, just to alleviate any further worries of friends or families, the epic center of the quake was in the city of Van which is in the far eastern part of Turkey, approximately 781miles away from Istanbul.  So really the only thing that will happen here in Istanbul are protests to the mistakes Turkey's Governing Administration may make during the recovery efforts as well as to why the housing was built so poorly in such a quake-prone area. We may also see a lot of National Pride marches as this coming weekend is Republic Day. However, this one will certainly be a somber one for Turkey.

The images sent from the field show the devastation.

Yunus Geray, 13, became a symbol of hope of the devastating earthquake in Van when a Reuters photographer captured the moment of his rescue. He lay beneath a dead man for hours. Unfortunately, he died on the way to the hospital of heart failure. 

Residents look at what's left of their collapsed apartments and homes

There was a lack of available machinery for recovery efforts which has led to some anger

At first, residents were left to their own devises to dig through the rubble.
It's a hard toll on all involved

Workers dig through the rubble for survivors

As with every natural disaster you get amazingly lucky stories of survivors saved. 

There has been some increasing controversy rising up in the last 24 hours as residents complain that the government isn't providing enough support for the victims. There are not enough tents for everyone as the support centers and the government are overwhelmed and refused aid from foreign countries (but a few minutes ago has reversed that order). Families like the one below are the ones that are suffering because of it. The nights are getting colder and colder now.

A family sits huddled in blankets around a fire after losing their home.
They're the lucky ones