This is an update about a woman the Team rescued from the rubble of her collapsed apartment building in aftermath of the Turkish Earthquake in August 99.

On Saturday the 7th October 2000, four members of International Rescue Corps, Rab, Dave, Brian and myself travelled to Duzce in Turkey.  Mercy Corps, who we had been working for (providing training to the local civil defence) had said that they would take us to Duzce on our day off.

On getting there we walked around the streets, almost spooky with all life on the ground and no one working or living above ground level; everyone is still so afraid and many live in pre-fabs or still in tents.  After about 30 minutes we arrive at the site of a block of flats where, in August 1999, the Corps found and rescued a woman.  The site has now been cleared and has portacabins on it; we were invited in for a chi (tea) in one of them.

Word got around that we were there and we asked about the welfare of the woman we had rescued there.  When asked if we would like to see her again, we said yes, but only if she wanted to see us - we did not want to bring bad memories back to her.  Somebody went to speak to her whilst we went to the house of our interpreter last year.  After a meal we were told that she wanted to see us. 

Reality now set in and we felt nervous about meeting her.  We were taken to her house and had an emotional reunion, none of us able to look at each other and getting the biggest hugs possible from her.  She spoke to us very softly and asked some questions; she does not remember much as she was unconscious for most of the time, probably due to fumes from the chemist’s shop below, but fully remembers the whole of the rescue.  Her main words to us and, of course, the whole team, were "Thank you for a second life, I can now live for my daughter".

We stayed for about 30 minutes, leaving only to catch the last coach back to Istanbul. We left with her waving from her doorway.  Very emotional but it reminded us of why we all joined the Corps - to save life.

Paul