Kinga Perge is an Urban Search and Rescue first responder, also from the for Budapest Firefighter Association. When news broke of the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, she was ready. As liaison and USAR operations coordinator with the Budapest Volunteer Rescue Union-Hungarian Caritas team, she shares her experience of being involved in a disaster relief effort of this magnitude.
On the morning of the 6th of February, we woke up to the red alert from the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS). As both my partner and I are members of USAR teams, we immediately started to get ready: checked our personal bags, made some calls, gathered information and started to prepare for the mission. After the alert, our ways parted. As a firefighter, he is the coordinator of the HUNOR USAR, so he was deployed with the governmental team of Hungary to Hatay sector in Türkiye, while our volunteer team from the capital, the Budapest Volunteer Rescue Union, deployed its medium capacity USAR through Caritas Hungary to Kahramanmaras. We started our journey on Tuesday with 19 members and two search dogs in five cars and trailers, with nearly 2500 km ahead of us. An additional 12 members and four search dogs flew to Türkiye and joined us there.
As my position is liaison and USAR operations coordination, I started to collect available information during mobilisation, trying to get ready for the arrival to the affected area. I also got in touch with all my friends and colleagues from different international USAR teams to share what we know and to see who will deploy at which sector. On arrival, I directly went to the command post of AFAD and the Turkish government and requested the first assignment, while half of the team started to set up our base of operations.
Despite the 38-hour trip behind us and the freezing cold, the team spirit was so high, and the adrenalin fuelled us so much that the rescuers showed no tiredness and started the assessment and rescue immediately.
When I looked around at the first team leaders meeting with representatives of international teams from around the world, I also recognised some familiar faces. I saw the same determination in their eyes. From that point on, I was confident we will have no issues in asking for support from each other.
When I looked around at the first team leaders meeting with representatives of international teams from around the world, I also recognised some familiar faces. I saw the same determination in their eyes. From that point on, I was confident we will have no issues in asking for support from each other.
My initial feelings were right, any time I asked for a heavy capacity or special assessment equipment from any other team, the solution and support were there immediately, just as we helped if requested without hesitation.
I believe that only with this mind-set was possible for us to work effectively during the rescue. The devastation in the city was unspeakable.
From a professional viewpoint, the main takeaway from the mission was that there’s no right or wrong decision, only a decision. Personally, the most difficult part was the lack of communication with my partner. During the first days we could only speak for seconds, then the line broke. We only realised how hard it was when I also landed at Budapest airport and we could finally hug each other. We talk a lot about our missions to each other, which helps to deal with the intense feelings and experiences.
I still hardly find the right words, it feels like there’s no right terms to describe the damage caused by the earthquake. Even with these circumstances, the Turkish people never ceased to express their gratitude towards us, which raised our spirits and helped us to keep going.
I still hardly find the right words, it feels like there’s no right terms to describe the damage caused by the earthquake.
We worked side-by-side with the Turkish responders at almost every worksite. Our joint operations resulted in the highest reward possible when we managed to save a 17-year-old girl. Our team worked tirelessly in the rubble. However, the number and volume of worksites were so high that I felt we could do so little compared to the scale of the disaster. When I could, I created even three or four responding units from our team to execute different tasks, so it was also inevitable to take the lead of a unit on field to support the operations.
The work was demanding, and the weather conditions were very harsh, but I still did not hear any complaints. Our team worked in Kahramanmaras until 12 February, when we demobilised and got home on 13th February.
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