As I board the 11-hour overnight bus to Istanbul from the disaster zone, my mind is still reeling from the destruction I have witnessed on the Syria–Turkey border. The scene of devastation is unlike anything I have seen in my 20 years of working in disaster zones.
Yesterday, I carefully made my way through the twisted metal, broken concrete and bricks of the ancient city of Hatay, once called Antioch in ancient time. The destruction was so complete that I could barely imagine what the city looked like before the disaster. Narrow streets filled with commerce, bustling restaurants and apartments are now gone. The tremors that shook the city Feb. 6 destroyed 90% of its buildings, and the total death toll has surpassed 45,000.