The earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has impacted a community in New Jersey

 

The earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has impacted a community in New Jersey¹

Transcript²

Paterson is home to a large number of people with roots in Turkey and Syria — countries hit by Monday's massive earthquake. Residents say they are mobilizing their fears into help.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The powerful earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday has impacted communities around the world. The city of Paterson, N.J., is home to the largest community of Turkish immigrants in the United States. It also has a strong Syrian presence. Many residents have lost loved ones and are missing family members. NPR's Jasmine Garsd reports.

JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE³: When Nikola Dogum (ph) first heard the news, he thought, it has to be a mistake. People were saying a 7.8 earthquake had hit south Turkey, where he's from, and Syria. Then the phone rang. It was his brother-in-law.

NIKOLA DOGUM: He's calling us. What's up? And he's under building.

GARSD: He said he was buried under seven collapsed⁴ floors.

DOGUM: He tell us, please tell my brother to come help me. Please.

GARSD: But Nikola Dogum was over 5,000 miles away in Paterson, N.J., where he says he felt helpless and terrified. That's how a lot of folks here feel right now.

DERYA TASKIN: Paterson has been quiet for the last three or four days.

GARSD: Derya Taskin's family owns a Turkish bakery. She says the vibrant⁵ community of Paterson has spent the last week seesawing⁶ between hope and despair.

TASKIN: You know, one moment you get happy because 5-year-old girl was saved, so everyone cheers up. And then you see other things that's been pulled out from the rubble⁷, and everyone starts crying.

GARSD: She's especially worried about anyone under the rubble who might still be alive. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, who is himself Syrian American, says as soon as he heard the news, he immediately jumped into action.

ANDRE SAYEGH: I called the Turkish ambassador, and I called the consul⁸ general from Turkey, and they both echoed the same sentiment. We need search and rescue help.

GARSD: President Biden recently pledged to aid rescue efforts. Sayegh says the community is also coming together to send essential goods.

SAYEGH: We are starting to develop different pipelines⁹ to get clothing or whatever it may be there to Turkey. It's cold in Turkey. So they're getting clothing for children, clothing for adults.

(SOUNDBITE OF HAIR CLIPPERS BUZZING)

GARSD: A local barber shop called Palestinian Hair (ph) is one of the points of organization.

RAED ODEH: (Non-English language spoken).

SAYEGH: Sami (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Oh, my God.

ODEH: (Non-English language spoken). Oh, my God. Sami.

GARSD: Barber Raed Odeh is the deputy mayor. He says they've been working with local mosques¹⁰ and community organizations. They're also in talks with local merchants and shipping¹¹ companies to get clothes and baby formula out there as quickly as possible.

ODEH: Yesterday, we were at one of those warehouses¹² where they ship, trying to figure out how we can do all these runs and try to get things over there as soon as possible.

GARSD: But some in Paterson worry it won't be enough. Nikola Dogum says he's concerned about Syria, where part of his family is from. Syria has already been through years of conflict, and aid may move in slower due to sanctions. Dogum says he's not waiting for that aid to arrive for his mother and sister, who are now homeless in the middle of winter.

DOGUM: My sister over there. My mom over there. My mom - she's OK. My sister, OK. They was - sleep on - in the car. They can't go inside. No house. No more. No more.

GARSD: He's told his mom and sister he'd like to bring them to the U.S. He says he himself can't go back - not right now. It hurts too much.

Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, Paterson, N.J.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRISMA SONG, "DARDUST")

1 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

5 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

6 seesawing   

v.使上下（来回）摇动( seesaw的现在分词 )；玩跷跷板，上下（来回）摇动

参考例句：

• The score had been seesawing from the very start. 从一开始比分就成拉锯局面。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

8 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

9 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

10 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

11 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

12 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。