ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – “A joy cut too short,” said Bakri Qattan, 53, while roaming the backyard of his recently renovated house in the al-Aqaba neighborhood, west of the Aleppo citadel. The earthquake spared no one.
He had just finished restoring his war-battered two-story house in the al-Aqaba neighborhood, for which he had to fork over a large amount, not to mention the wasted time and effort.
Bakri said, “When the battles between forces of the Syrian government and the opposition intensified in Aleppo, I left my house and was unable to return until government forces took control of the area.”
“I barely finished the renovation of my house two months ago, in order to live in it,” he added.
He talked about the joy he felt after finishing the restoration and the sense of stability it gave him.
“I was over the moon to return to my hometown and my house, which dates back more than 250 years and is a family heirloom,” he said.
His joy was cut short by the earthquake on February 6. “The scale of destruction that happened in 40 seconds equaled that sustained over years of war. I do not think I can easily restore it. The devastation is beyond words,” Bakri laments.
At dawn on Feb. 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Syria and Turkey, killing more than 44.000 and injuring many more, in addition to destroying thousands of buildings.
Without Shelter
Su’ad Qasas, 31, terrified by the earthquake, managed to grab only a single blanket to cover her three children while hastily leaving her house. She is currently sheltering in a mosque.
Qasas, who lost her husband during the war the city years ago, lost her house in the Feb. 6 earthquake.
“My house collapsed two days after the earthquake, following major damage when the first earthquake hit,” she said.
“Unfortunately, our building collapsed. Years of hard work were lost. There is no place to shelter my children and me but this mosque,” she said grievingly.
Unnoticed
Muhammad al-Nasser, 54, the mayor of the al-Aqaba neighborhood in Old Aleppo, said, “The devastation in old neighborhoods went unnoticed, unlike eastern areas.”
According to al-Nasser, ten people, including women and children, were crushed to death by fallen rooftops in the al-Aqaba neighborhood.
“Our neighborhood, like others in Old Aleppo, was destroyed by the earthquake,” he added.
“After the war, we managed to get back on our feet and started restorations, though minor, of these neighborhoods. However, the earthquake pushed us back to square one, if not worse,” he added choking on his words.
“Most people who renovated their houses and returned to live in them, lost them again and became IDPs. We do not know if they will return,” he added.