Three violent earthquakes shook parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday morning. The epicenter: Southeast Anatolia. Entire streets have collapsed. Tens of thousands of people were buried asleep in their beds under the falling parts of the building. thousands are dead
But there are also survivors. And to find them under the rubble, Redog, the Swiss association for search and rescue dogs, sent a delegation to the disaster area.
Monika Suter and her dog Nukka are one of the teams that traveled to Turkey with Redog to search for survivors. In an interview, the dog handler tells how she experiences this exceptional situation – and why there are also beautiful moments in the midst of suffering.
You are currently in Iskenderun as a dog handler. What are you doing over there?
My dog Nukka and I search for living people in the rubble left behind by the earthquake. We are trained for that.
Have you already had success?
Yes! My team found four living people. However, it was not Nukka who tracked them down.
So there are several dogs with you – how big should you imagine your team?
Here in Iskenderun we are currently with five people: our team leader, a total of three dog handlers with one dog each and a doctor. They are all great people. I am very happy that you are all here with me. Then there is a second team and the four teams that work with the Swiss rescue chain. I am part of a greater whole here.
You got a call in the night from Sunday to Monday and it said: “Here we go”. How was that for you?
I was on night shift in intensive care. Then the chief of operations in Basel called: There had been an earthquake in Turkey and Syria. I immediately made myself available for the assignment, and my employer also agreed.
And what are you thinking about?
I was very excited! It’s my first assignment. In fact, you already have everything at home. But after the call, I went over Redog’s packing list again and thought to myself, What do I really need to pack? You never know how long the assignment will take. Around noon I got the agreement that I would definitely be there.
And how did things go between you and Nukka?
We flew with a Rega flight to Turkey. That was a very special experience. At first the dogs were excited because flying is unusual for them. But we managed to get some sleep during the flight.
How was arriving in Turkey – knowing what just happened there?
At first we couldn’t land as planned because the runway was damaged here in the earthquake zone. That’s why we ended up in Adana. We still had about 200 kilometers to cover in vehicles. Tuesday morning at 4 o’clock we finally arrived at our destination: Iskenderun, a completely destroyed city. It was about 0 degrees and it was also drizzling. We stood with our feet on the ground of a country whose population had just been hit by a huge catastrophe.
What does your rescue mission look like?
Oh yeah. Everything is very spontaneous. As soon as we arrived our team started work, we searched four damaged areas by 8pm. Our Turkish partner organization GEA* coordinates which damage location we go to.
What happened after that first assignment?
After this first day we went to our base camp for the first time to lie down and eat. At five o’clock we were awakened again and were on our way so far. We don’t know yet what will happen next. Maybe I can lie down for a few more hours after that. But maybe it will continue right away.
How should you imagine this base camp? Do you live in a living space?
No. We are on a military site where tents have been set up for us. The dogs are always here with us.
At temperatures around zero.
That’s how it is. During the operations we travel in a small passenger bus. If you’re lucky you can warm up a bit between uses.
They speak very calmly, while sirens can be heard again and again in the background or the conversation is briefly interrupted by the officer on duty. Does your experience as an ICU nurse help you cope with the pressures of life-or-death interventions?
yes that helps me Because I have experience in dealing with family members who are struck by fate. But this is an extreme experience. It’s such a great sadness. You can’t even imagine or prepare for it. But I also know that the mission will end here one day. That also helps.
How do you experience the relatives of buried victims?
People still have great hope that we will find their loved ones alive. Of course, that puts a certain amount of pressure on you. We also feel the disappointment when we find their loved ones not alive. The desperation grows with each passing hour. At the same time, people are extremely grateful that we are here. We notice that too. They bring us food or drink. That is incredibly beautiful. I know I’m doing something right here.
And how is Nukka doing?
It is very tiring for the dogs. The environment is unknown, the noise. They also hardly sleep. I find that Nukka gets to the core – especially the searches. Contrary to the training sessions, she is rarely successful here. We’ve practiced all that, but this mission is very different from training.
Would you have imagined the assignment differently because of the training?
It’s very different. But I had no concrete ideas about a calamity, because things usually turn out differently than you think. The most important thing is that the dog and handler are well trained, that is what matters in the end and Redog has an excellently trained team. In addition, our team leader is very concerned about our safety.
Training at Redog takes a lot of time. Why did you even take it on?
The search, what I do here on the site, appeals to me. And I find it attractive to build something together with the dog. But my previous dog was too energetic to train at Redog and I couldn’t really imagine all that training outside of work.
And why did you end up at Redog anyway?
With Nukka I was first active in the sport dog sector, just like with the previous dog. There she was trained as a doctor and companion dog. After a trial day at Redog, I really fell into it.
What sets Nukka apart that you guys work as a team for Redog?
A Redog dog must be hardworking and courageous. At the same time, he should not be a kamikaze dog who throws himself into everything. Nukka brings all that along. She is very enthusiastic about everything I do with her. And as a labrador she has a good size. She really is a great bitch!
What does Nukka’s presence mean to you in the current situation?
I wouldn’t be here without Nukka. She is my best friend who is also here with me. She’s always there. I can hug her too. That helps a lot.
GEA is a Turkish organization specialized in search and rescue operations and since 1999 has been a member of INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group), a global network under the umbrella of the UN. GEA’s helpers freed the people whose scent Redog’s dogs had picked up from the rubble.
Redog, together with GEA, rescued 28 people alive from the rubble on Thursday afternoon.
Redog is deployed in Turkey with a total of 22 people and 14 dogs. The assignment takes a maximum of 10 days for one person and their dog. Upon their return, the helpers have the opportunity to request psychological help.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
