Mariam Abd Al-Monam Haj Kasem, 25 years old.
When the first earthquake happened, when the bed start shaking, I woke up, I didn’t realize what is happening until I heard my mother shouting that we must leave the house, I remember that I started listen sounds from the walls cracking, I was afraid on my mother she has difficulty walking, I tried to help her until my father came and carried her out of the building.
We left our house and stayed in the mosque for two days, me and my 2 sisters were sitting in big hall, with about 25 family in the same hall, there was no privacy or the ability to receive this number of people, so we couldn’t stay in this place.
We tried to go home again, there were cracks in the walls, and my mother insisted on staying at home despite his situation, so we didn’t go back to the group shelters.
On Mar 20, another earthquake hit the city, the same scene I watched repeat again, but this time the fear was bigger, we all know our cracked house situation, my father ran and carried my mother, me and my sisters were running on the stairs but it was full of people the whole building were damaged, all people were evacuating their homes.
This time we all knew that we will never get back to our house, after we get to the street, the building collapsed, my veiled mother wasn’t putting her veil on, we walked out of our house without even shoes.
We again forced to go to the collective shelters, we went to the schools near to our house in Al-Ramel Al-Janobi, those schools became shelters since the first earthquake, the schools were full of people, so we spend the night in my uncle house, we couldn’t stay and add 5 more persons in his small house.
In the next morning, we went to “Mohamad Al-Shaikh School” we told the supervisor our situation, fortunately, she accepted to receive us in the shelter in spite of the large number of people in the center.
Two weeks later, they moved us to “Jamal Daood School”, the wash facilities are real bad state, and the weather cold at night, my mother couldn’t stay in the shelter or afford this life, she needs more treatment, so my father kept her in my uncle’s house, he also spends most of the day in his work, we are here alone me and my sisters.
Thanks for ADRA, they support us from the first day, they were providing meals, and now for Ramadan month, they distributing meals for the breackfast, I also received hygiene kit.
ADRA also provided solar water heating system and lighting system to the center, and they rehabilitate the bathrooms.
Now I’m searching for house for rent to leave the center, and live again with my mother.
