Who and how take these shots that the world looks at in amazement? – REPORT – PHOTOS | – #shots #world #amazement #REPORT #PHOTOS
The products prepared by journalists working in conflict zones and natural disaster areas go a long way before they reach the audience. Not all people familiar with these materials question the difficulties faced by the journalist during their preparation. It is understandable. To the audience news necessary, and he may not think about the painful ways the media member went through in the preparation of this news.
For years, both in Azerbaijan and in various states, conflicts and protest As a journalist covering the events, this time I will share with the readers of Pressklub.az some moments that I encountered in the area of natural disaster in Turkey.
Admittedly, this is the first one I have covered during my professional career earthquake was the event. I am sure that it was the first experience of my colleagues from Azerbaijan as well as from different countries of the world. Because it was the most terrible earthquake of the last years, moreover, the size of the area, the high number of destructions and deaths increased the scale of panic even more.
Unlike a war, a natural disaster of this magnitude is much more difficult to cover. It is clear that the first is a “product of human labor”, and the second is a natural phenomenon. The war process can be influenced, but the vagaries of nature are completely different. How do journalists work in these conditions?
In the place destroyed by the earthquake, there are no conditions to wash, rest, warm up and eat normally. To meet such needs earthquake you have to go to the non-existent region, it is not possible otherwise.
On the first day of our trip to the disaster zone, we hardly slept. In fact, we were psychologically prepared for it, we knew where we were going, so on the plane to meet our need for sleep, weather we had to sleep in the waiting room of the port and on the bus. Even if we wanted to wash, we couldn’t do it because the use of technical water was not hygienic due to the damage caused by the earthquake. The composition of the water had changed, and it was impossible to clean it, it was said that it would take a lot of time. At best, it would be to wash with drinking water and brush the teeth. We also followed this rule during our visit. Taking a shower was generally an unattainable dream.
Border: When I was in Kiev in March of last year, I took a shower in a shelter at the metro station. The train enters the tunnel, yes, look, there was a room towards that tunnel. There was a bathroom. Shampoos for hair and body were arranged inside. There was a war going on in Kiev and the population used the subway as a shelter.
Although the tents were a convenient place to sleep, it also had its drawbacks, especially the fact that we heated ourselves with a wood stove. Because at night, in the sweet spot of sleep, we woke up shivering from the cold. After the logs in the wood stove burned and turned to ashes, the tent cooled down quickly. Therefore, when sleeping in tents, only shoes were removed, and our outer clothing, even a jacket, scarf and hat, were on us.
In addition to tents, members of the media also spent the night in AFAD administrative buildings located in the regions. Here, it was possible to sleep directly in the corridor. Although there was a desert bed in the tents, in the buildings we had to sleep only on the ground, that is, on the stone. Since the buildings are cold, it doesn’t really matter if you have a thick mattress underneath and a blanket on top of you. To increase safety measures, there were restrictions on the supply of gas. Some of our colleagues spent the night in the street, in front of the fire, and during the day they performed their duties. Earthquake victims had electric stoves in their tents. We hope they weren’t cold…
We also spent one night in the media bus. Journalists came to work here – they wrote articles and looked at photos. They sent the finished materials to the editorial office with special internet transmitting devices. There was no internet in the area.
The bus was running all night. Only in this way was it possible to keep it warm and light inside. For the first and last time that day in a long time, I took off my jacket, scarf and hat.
There was tea, coffee and some cookies inside the media bus. Of course, not all our colleagues spent the night on the bus. Some of them went to their private vehicles and these vehicles were also running all night. Otherwise, they too would be bummed out.
I asked one of my Turkish colleagues about spending the night in a car. The answer was that it is the best under the current conditions. The stop for our media bus and other vehicles was a gas station. During the day, they refilled the fuel that was empty all night. We also had firefighters sent from Istanbul. Some of those who suffered from the earthquake spent the night in their vehicles. During the day, blankets and mattresses on the back seats of cars were clearly visible.
Food and we met our needs in the tent cities and administrative buildings where the earthquake victims gathered. Although we had money in our pockets, there was no store to buy food… Canned fish, bulgur, pilaf, beef and chicken, and lentil and tomato soup.
Earthquake Although a state of emergency has been declared in the region, entry and exit to the cities is intensive. Aid is sent here from different parts of Turkey and the world. In addition, from different cities of the country the police, gendarmerie, medical personnel were involved to serve the population. We observed these cases both in Kahramanmaraş and Hatay. Taking advantage of the natural disaster, some groups dived into the rubble and searched for gold, money and other valuables. Therefore, in the face of destruction in both cities hand armed soldiers stood guard. In the evening, we heard about attacks on people. Therefore, security measures were at the highest level, mainly in Hatay province.
Soldiers patrolled the city day and night. In the evening, the city of Antakya in Hatay became a “city of spirits”. It’s dark, there are ruins that exceed the height of a person, soldiers walking in the streets with automatic weapons. As soon as they saw an unknown object, they approached it, or shone the light of the flashlight in their hands on that object.
As we moved through the ruins, we met rescuers in various places. Today, they took out someone’s body, either alive or dead, from under the ruins…
There were human bodies under the rubble. Sometimes, knowingly or unknowingly, we passed in front of them and took photos on the concrete next to them. Considering the risk of spread of infectious diseases, medical we used mask and alcohol. Fortunately, we could get this type of equipment in some places. We had to protect ourselves in an area where hygienic conditions were at a minimum.
The emotional and psychological aspects of the issue are the subject of a completely different article. Imagine two people standing in front of a wreckage – one of them was hoping that someone would survive, and the other was waiting for the lifeless body of a loved one who was no longer alive.
Urgent medical ambulances and hearses alike were waiting. We were told that it was urgent medical follow the ambulance, which means that there is a possibility that someone will survive under some debris.
These were some of the situations we faced while operating in the earthquake region, frankly, we wrote what we could express. Let us keep the rest…
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