Fires in turunc

Hi all please please share far far so we can raise as much money for the devastation the fires have caused in turkey . 

My name is Yvonne I am Linda Askoy sister who is married to Alaaddin. I have been visiting turunc since 1997 when Linda and Alaaddin met fell in the gypsy bar. I have holidayed in turunc with my children/ friends/ family/ Linda and Alaaddin granddaughter and my own grandchildren. Turunc has a special place in our hearts and class as our second home. We have met and made a lot of friends a long the way which we class as family x

Turunc will receive all the funds as this is a personal situation for my family as we have family / friends who have homes businesses in Turunc and also Icmeler but I understand people have their favourite places . 

I have decided to use a fund page so every £ put in is transparent, what ever the costs are for using this will be funded by my family. 

Every £ will count even if it supports a meal, drinks, clothes,seeds, animal food .

Wow wow everyone a massive around of applause to you all , can you share once donated to show people how the funds are growing x 

Thank you to all of you that has donated these funds are going to be such a big support to Turunc, to help build it back to its glory x

The below message was from Maria Fountain and Linda Askoy re what some of the direct money has already been spent on x

UPDATE 14: Thought it was about time for another update in case people think we're doing nothing. On the 31st Aug 5 people in Turunç were paid cash for vehicle repairs, totalling 13350 TL and 1 person 280 TL for fuel. There are a couple more bills we"re still waiting for.

Mustafa Can has got the ball rolling with regard to the society set up. It turns out it is best for us to use a professional for 12 months (cost 2000 TL). They will take care of all the paperwork and legal requirements etc. We can learn from them and be able to do everything ourselves thereafter. Using them will also be quicker and cheaper. For us to set up the society ourselves would have been approx 10000 TL and take longer. 

We have also found out we need another 6 people on the committee. 16 members are required by law (8 of the committer taking a less active roll). These people will be announced asap

All being well next week 8 of us will go to Marmaris to sign papers. Unfortunately, some things in Turkey cannot be done over night but we are getting there. 

The purchase of the storage container is the next top priority as all equipment has had to be moved from where it was. 

Yvonne Loftus GoFundMe is still running and stands at £9400. Bank holding 204612.68 TL. Cash 570TL.

Next update end of next 

In July and August, parts of the  Mediterranean were devastated by wild fires. In S.W. Turkey the villages of Turunç, Dereözü, Osmanıye and Bayır were badly affected.Local people lost their homes, belongings, livestock and many thousands of bees/hives. The Turunç area is in the Marmaris National Park famous for it's pine forests and Pine Honey. The fires have had a terrible impact on both. 

 

Because of the widespread devastation, the authorities were spread thinly and although fire crews came from different areas of the country to assist, local people mobilised themselves to assist the authorities and to protect their homes. In the follow up it became apparent that were the fires to happen again, the authorities could not necessarily be relied on to tackle local fires and a local assistance society was considered. As well as protecting their own homes the society would be available to formally assist the authorities not just during forest fires but other disasters, earthquakes for example. 

 

At the same time people from across the world started donating money to help in tackling the fires. The GoFundMe page set up by Yvonne Loftus was just one of many and other fundraising efforts produced immediate cash which has been used to replace livestock and other things for those worst affected. The local assistance idea took off and a committee was formed from local people and members of the ex-pat community to oversee the spending of the money raised and to prepare the local disaster relief teams. Equipment is to be purchased and formal training arranged with the local authorities. 

 

This organisation of the Turunç Support, Welfare and Development Society has been done legally and with the encouragement of the local authorities. Local government is going to provide an area in the village of Turunç for cabins and containers which will be used as command post and storage. However, the necessary bureaucracy has taken time. The society's committee are well aware that GoFundMe would like the collected funds to go where it was intended but a local bank account cannot be formalised until the society's paperwork is duly completed. That is nearly done but will take a bit longer due to certain checks and Notary formalities.. 

 

It has been proposed that the funds in the GoFundMe account are transferred to a UK bank deposit account of a committee member to be transferred as soon as a local bank account is formalised (the Society's committee is made up of both Turkish local people and British ex-pats who have experience in many of the required areas). It may be necessary to transfer the funds into the individual's current account first. All society members are happy with this arrangement as it solves a number of related issues (there are other funds in individuals' bank accounts which need to be centralised. The Society's Turkish bank account cannot be fully opened until the Society's foundation paperwork has been Notarised. 

 

Paperwork showing the organisation and aims of the society are available at this time in both English and Turkish but they have not been notarised - this will be done in the next week or so and Notarised copies can be provided immediately after. We trust that these arrangements, with suitable documentation will be acceptable to GoFundMe. It is acceptable to all of those people who donated that have been contacted.

With regards to the use of the funds in the GoFundMe account, it is envisaged that they, along with other funding, will be used to purchase a range of equipment to assist in tackling future forest fires and during other emergencies.

 

1.​Water pumps and associated items. Pumps are required to take water from the sea to locally provided vehicles and to deliver that water to the fires. 

2.​Large water containers that can quickly be mounted on local vehicles

3.​A range of fire extinguishers for specific requirements

4. ​Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for nominated teams (some of the money raised at the time was spent on medical supplies for people keen to get involved but inadequately dressed) 

5.​Training - fire fighting, use of purchased equipment, radio procedures for communicating with authorities (the forestry people use helicopters to deliver water to fires and communicating with them is seen as a priority), first aid. Training is available from local authorities but carries a cost.

6.​Ancillary equipment like chainsaws to remove dangerous trees etc.

7.​Providing support and assistance to those who have suffered loss.

8.​Cabin for command post and Society meetings, training etc and a container for storage of equipment. There will be an ongoing cost for maintenance of equipment and  replacement of items.

 

This is by no means a finite list and the money raised by the GoFundMe appeal will only go part of the way in setting things up but the Society's Rules and Objects allow for future fundraising activities (this is partly the reason for the delay in formalising the Society). This endeavour is not being undertaken lightly; the Turunç Support, Welfare and Development Society will be a legal entity that is able to work independently and to assist local and government bodies in times of emergencies.