Key Points
- Adding to its ongoing humanitarian crisis, Syrians are now also dealing with the aftermath of a massive earthquake.
- Perth man Edwar Belardi’s family slept in the streets following the quake.
- He worries poverty and hunger that already existed will only worsen in the wake of the natural disaster.
Earlier this week, Perth resident Edwar Belardi got a shocking phone call.
His family in the Syrian city of Aleppo were saying their goodbyes, after one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history.
“They were crying running out from the house, they said if we die, we love you,” Mr Belardi told SBS News.
Luckily, they survived.
Vera and Edwar Belardi, came to Australia as refugees with their son (not pictured) and their daughter Maria (right.) Source: SBS News / Aleisha Orr
But the quake has left them temporarily homeless. In the days following, the family slept on the streets outside their homes.
Syrian government authorities allowed some of the Belardi’s relatives to return to their homes on Thursday night, despite the large cracks in the walls.
Others, whose homes are not able to be lived in, have moved in with relatives.
Mr and Mrs Belardi’s family
Mr Belardi said they decided to flee Syria after a walk to buy milk with his young daughter ended with the two seeking shelter after a suspected bomb, by the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, exploded nearby.
The Belardis have many family members on both sides back in Syria and they said their situation was already quite desperate before the earthquake.
“They don’t have petrol to get to work, they don’t have food, they don’t have any basic things,” he said.
The luckier ones were able to shelter in a car.
“It is minus two [degrees] and they’ve got kids as well,” Mr Belardi said.
When he called them at Christmas, the extended family was huddled on a bed together, covered in blankets and trying to stay warm in freezing conditions.
“Because [they have] no power, no electricity,” Mr Belardi said.
On top of the conflict within the country and the associated humanitarian disaster, his relatives – like many others in Syria – are now facing even more challenging circumstances following one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history.
Mr Belardi, who runs a barber shop and a cafe in Perth, just wishes he could do something to make a difference for both his and his wife’s family members back in Syria.
He came to Australia in 2016 as a refugee with his wife and two children.
The earthquake left large cracks in the homes of the Belardi’s relatives in Syria. Source: Supplied
Mr Belardi fears that Syrians will not get the assistance they need following the earthquake on Monday, because it may simply appear to be too hard given the pre-existing situation.
More than a decade of unrest
Syria has experienced brutal conflict and an ongoing humanitarian crisis for more than a decade.
Unrest and civil war, which at times has involved foreign countries (including Russia, the US, Turkey and Iran) has been a constant following what began as pro-democracy protests against the country’s ruling regime in 2011.
Everyday life has also been impacted by the IS’ presence in the region.
According to UNICEF, 90 per cent of those in the country live in poverty and food insecurity is an issue for half of the population.
The United Nations estimates about 7 million people were already displaced within the country before the 6 February earthquake.
A natural disaster on top of a crisis
Mr Belardi said Syria’s ability to respond to the natural disaster was limited.
“The government is poor now because everything is blocked to Syria,” he said.
Mr Belardi said he was worried Syria would not receive the emergency response and support that Turkey — which was affected by the same earthquake — will receive.
“What about the humanity? We talk all the time about humans and about animals, but when we come to real things, no one talks about it.
“We are talking about this on social media and I wish somebody listened to us and started to help people in Syria,” he said.
Mr Belardi said the initial news coverage he’d seen had focused on Turkey.
“I only heard them talk about Syria yesterday,” he said.
The Australian government has committed to providing $7 million in aid to Turkey and $3 million to Syria via UNICEF.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is sending an urban search and rescue team of up to 72 people to assist Turkish authorities on the ground.
Fundraising efforts
Mr Belardi is organising to send money to people he knows in Lebanon, who will then take the money to his family members in Syria to assist them.
He said money transfers to Syria were not possible, so this was the only way he could try to assist his relatives.
Mr Belardi is also hoping to fundraise for charities assisting the earthquake response at his barber shop and cafe that he recently opened in the northern suburbs of Perth.
He said he would love to have his family members come to Australia as refugees, but has been told that they are not eligible while they are still in Aleppo.
Mr Belardi said trucks and machinery to help in the recovery and clean-up, clothes and blankets, and assistance to restore electricity were desperately needed by Syria during the recovery effort.
“So many things … it’s not enough,” he said.
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