Floods in Istanbul

During the week of September 7 there were flash floods in Istanbul which killed about 40 people, swept about 200 cars and trucks into the sea, and destroyed hundreds of homes. The homes which were destroyed were largely substandard, makeshift housing built by poor immigrants to the area. When the waters subsided and the city began the cleanup, the senior missionary couple in Istanbul began to assess what the Church could do to assist. We joined them in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Istanbul is a huge city of somewhere around 20 million people, but only a small proportion of the population was involved in the flood. Of course, the poor are always the victims in natural disasters.

In the photo on the right you may be able to see the watermark above the second story. The second story balcony was washed away!

It was overwhelming to see such great need, but we worked with the municipal government in two affected areas to determine that blankets and hygiene kits were a top priority. The hygiene kits were far more extensive than the personal ones we’re used to; these were huge family survival kits which filled a 5-gallon garbage bag. The supplies were ordered, and our first assignment was to pay the supplier. Turkey is a cash economy. We had to visit ATMs and withdraw as much cash as we could at each one over a two-day period. At one point we had 35,000 Turkish Lira (about $25,000) on the table in front of us. After making the small down payment, we were able to arrange a wire transfer of the remaining funds. We worked closely with the Europe East Area office in Moscow to accomplish the financing.

The next day the supplies were delivered, assembled by city volunteers, and we took a few hundred kits and blankets for distribution. We visited only a few streets, and the remaining kits and blankets were distributed by city employees and other volunteers that night and into the next few days. It was devastating to see such destruction of people’s lives.

Above you see a little boy (without full arms) sitting on raw wool. It was washed and used as mattresses.

There will be other projects to follow, and we have been asked to return to Istanbul to help in the future. The Church membership in the area is small, with only about 50 people attending meetings, and there is only a single senior missionary couple assigned to the city. But we were able to work with the government to provide immediate assistance worth a great deal. It was very gratifying to be able to be a part of the Church’s response to the floods!