A SEASIDE VIEW / Nature’s bulldozers
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Jane Tuna
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 10, 2009 00:00
FETHİYE - Lives can change or be changed in an instant. We have no way of knowing what will happen, this afternoon, tomorrow or next week, but in Fethiye, recent events may cause some people to seriously reflect on the nature of change.
Last week has seen a reprieve, or at least a temporary stay, for nervous residents in Kayaköy, where 220 houses built without the necessary formalities were threatened with being demolished. It was due to start Monday, but the day passed without a visit from the bulldozers.
However, there was an occurrence of another kind. The heavens opened last Saturday and nature and people smiled. There has been a serious water shortage for the last few years and the locals appreciate every drop of rain. But incessant rain over three days became problematic. The soil became saturated and streams burst their banks. When natural watercourses are disturbed or displaced by man, nature can be vengeful.
The floods that hit Fethiye, Kayaköy and Ovaçik on Monday morning were nature’s bulldozers: walls tumbled, houses, gardens and fields were flooded, mud and rock slides blocked roads and no one could do anything to stop it. Groups of soaked, frightened inhabitants stood in silent groups watching as the water level crept higher, red from the soil, wreaking havoc as it went. The likes of this has not been seen before, or at least for 30 years. Accounts vary, but whatever the case, this was nature at its most powerful.
The rains finally stopped. Shocked residents reconnoitered, taking stock of the aftermath, considering the damage to their homes and livelihood. Whether Gaia, God or an accident of nature, the devastation was real enough. Crops were lost and houses now need to be repaired. Quite a coincidence, considering they were instead expecting a demolition squad from the Jandarma that morning. Muğla bureaucrats have visited the watery disaster area and are at least considering compensation for loss of crops. The lives of many people have been unexpectedly changed by these events.
While all this was going on, a devastating event took place in the small hours, on a mountain road near Yeşilüzümlü. A man, loved, admired and respected by many, left the world. His heart stopped. Adnan Önder, 55, was full of vitality and had a razor sharp intellect. He combined a passion for culture and country with a boundless ability to share his enthusiasm with others. The shock of his sudden and totally unexpected death may fade a little with time, but never completely for those who loved him. He leaves a wife and two daughters, siblings and countless friends.
He was a son of Fethiye and he should be remembered in the town with pride. As a rebellious and gifted young man he was the first scholar from Fethiye to gain a place and graduate in economics, from the prestigious Middle Eastern Technical University in Ankara. The late 1970s was a time of political upheaval and societal change. His life was changed beyond his wildest expectations as he seized the valuable opportunity and ran with it, hardly pausing for breath. He changed many lives. It is certain his death will, too.
Today the sun shines over a winter landscape. Snowy mountains belie the bright sunshine that is quickly evaporating the floodwaters. Villagers rescue what they can and repair the damage wrought by the flood. They have a seemingly tacit acceptance of whatever life throws at them, whether it is the risks they take, the natural disasters that beset them or the insidious hand of government. This could be fatalism, or it could be a kind of wisdom, inherent in people, who for generations have known only a hard life, know what they can change and what they must accept. For the family and friends of Adnan Önder, may he rest in peace, the moment that has recently changed their lives will be harder to accept.
However, there was an occurrence of another kind. The heavens opened last Saturday and nature and people smiled. There has been a serious water shortage for the last few years and the locals appreciate every drop of rain. But incessant rain over three days became problematic. The soil became saturated and streams burst their banks. When natural watercourses are disturbed or displaced by man, nature can be vengeful.
The floods that hit Fethiye, Kayaköy and Ovaçik on Monday morning were nature’s bulldozers: walls tumbled, houses, gardens and fields were flooded, mud and rock slides blocked roads and no one could do anything to stop it. Groups of soaked, frightened inhabitants stood in silent groups watching as the water level crept higher, red from the soil, wreaking havoc as it went. The likes of this has not been seen before, or at least for 30 years. Accounts vary, but whatever the case, this was nature at its most powerful.
The rains finally stopped. Shocked residents reconnoitered, taking stock of the aftermath, considering the damage to their homes and livelihood. Whether Gaia, God or an accident of nature, the devastation was real enough. Crops were lost and houses now need to be repaired. Quite a coincidence, considering they were instead expecting a demolition squad from the Jandarma that morning. Muğla bureaucrats have visited the watery disaster area and are at least considering compensation for loss of crops. The lives of many people have been unexpectedly changed by these events.
While all this was going on, a devastating event took place in the small hours, on a mountain road near Yeşilüzümlü. A man, loved, admired and respected by many, left the world. His heart stopped. Adnan Önder, 55, was full of vitality and had a razor sharp intellect. He combined a passion for culture and country with a boundless ability to share his enthusiasm with others. The shock of his sudden and totally unexpected death may fade a little with time, but never completely for those who loved him. He leaves a wife and two daughters, siblings and countless friends.
He was a son of Fethiye and he should be remembered in the town with pride. As a rebellious and gifted young man he was the first scholar from Fethiye to gain a place and graduate in economics, from the prestigious Middle Eastern Technical University in Ankara. The late 1970s was a time of political upheaval and societal change. His life was changed beyond his wildest expectations as he seized the valuable opportunity and ran with it, hardly pausing for breath. He changed many lives. It is certain his death will, too.
Today the sun shines over a winter landscape. Snowy mountains belie the bright sunshine that is quickly evaporating the floodwaters. Villagers rescue what they can and repair the damage wrought by the flood. They have a seemingly tacit acceptance of whatever life throws at them, whether it is the risks they take, the natural disasters that beset them or the insidious hand of government. This could be fatalism, or it could be a kind of wisdom, inherent in people, who for generations have known only a hard life, know what they can change and what they must accept. For the family and friends of Adnan Önder, may he rest in peace, the moment that has recently changed their lives will be harder to accept.