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EARTHQUAKE

‘For the first time in my life, I feel safer in a tent’

In Idlib province of Syria, where aid is struggling to arrive after Monday’s massive earthquake, residents are afraid to return home.

Aftershocks are still being felt and, for a mostly displaced population, tents now feel safer than houses.

‘For the first time in my life, I feel safer in a tent’

Earthquake survivors take refuge in temporary accommodation in Idlib, Syria, on February 9, 2023. (Credit: Omar al-Bam/Reuters)

Maher found refuge under a tent, one of those that are normally reserved for mourning receptions.The walls of his house were cracked by the earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria early Monday morning, and aftershocks only make the situation worse."One small tremor can be enough to bring down our building," he says.Maher, however, had no other choice but to get back into the building to get blankets—against his mother's advice—to face the freezing cold.Like so many other Syrians, the young man had to leave his home to seek shelter.Ironically, he now feels safest in a tent. Read also: Tripoli residents fear home collapse following multiple quakes The area's women and children are housed in a mosque located outside the center of the camp, isolated from other buildings."That's why they feel safe there," explains the young man,...
Maher found refuge under a tent, one of those that are normally reserved for mourning receptions.The walls of his house were cracked by the earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria early Monday morning, and aftershocks only make the situation worse."One small tremor can be enough to bring down our building," he says.Maher, however, had no other choice but to get back into the building to get blankets—against his mother's advice—to face the freezing cold.Like so many other Syrians, the young man had to leave his home to seek shelter.Ironically, he now feels safest in a tent. Read also: Tripoli residents fear home collapse following multiple quakes The area's women and children are housed in a mosque located outside the center of the camp, isolated from other buildings."That's why they feel safe there," explains the young man,...
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