Search-and-rescue volunteers from around the globe 乌鸦传媒� including the Semiahmoo Peninsula 乌鸦传媒� flocked to Turkey and Syria this month, following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Feb. 6 that toppled countless buildings and killed tens of thousands.

Returning from a week on the ground in Adiyaman, Turkey, Norm MacLeod said the scene was one of sheer devastation.

乌鸦传媒淲e drove block after block after block, and in every direction, these large six-, seven-storey buildings were either completely demolished or tilted over,乌鸦传媒� MacLeod said Friday (Feb. 17), from his post at White Rock fire hall, where he has been deputy chief for the past three years.

Witnessing it firsthand and being part of rescue and recovery efforts is 乌鸦传媒渟omething that most of us will never experience,乌鸦传媒� the South Surrey resident continued.

乌鸦传媒淭o be there in a world-impacting event is certainly an experience that I won乌鸦传媒檛 forget.乌鸦传媒�

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MacLeod, 59, was part of a 10-person Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue team that deployed to the southeastern city of Adiyaman on the afternoon of Feb. 7, after reaching out to the Turkish consulate in Vancouver in the wake of the quake to offer support.

Within hours of being 乌鸦传媒渂oots on the ground,乌鸦传媒� the team proved its worth, assisting a Mexican dog team and a team of Turkish miners in finding and rescuing a woman who had been trapped in a collapsed building since the quake struck.

The BUSAR team乌鸦传媒檚 equipment 乌鸦传媒渉elped to confirm that there was a person in need of assistance,乌鸦传媒� MacLeod said.

While extracting the woman took five to six hours, 乌鸦传媒淚 understand she乌鸦传媒檚 doing well and on the mend.乌鸦传媒�

The story was among the positives that kept the team乌鸦传媒檚 morale up and momentum going through the week, MacLeod said.

But it did not, by far, outweigh the negatives.

乌鸦传媒淯nfortunately not,乌鸦传媒� MacLeod said. 乌鸦传媒淎s we were working, we were also doing recovery and working in areas where people were not so fortunate to get out alive.乌鸦传媒�

While there was no time to dwell on that reality during the search efforts 乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒渨e were pretty much on the go right around the clock乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� MacLeod said the team does strategize to help each other 乌鸦传媒渞ecover from that exposure.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚 think while we乌鸦传媒檙e working, we乌鸦传媒檙e really focused on the job and we don乌鸦传媒檛 have a lot of time to let things really sink in,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut after, in the calm, we reflect, we talk about it乌鸦传媒� really look at how that impact can affect us as firefighters.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 doing well,乌鸦传媒� he continued. 乌鸦传媒淚 felt that we had a good, solid, successful mission and we were able to meet a lot of objectives that we乌鸦传媒檇 set for the team. We were very grateful to be able to be there to help the Turkish people in their time of need.乌鸦传媒�

Part of MacLeod乌鸦传媒檚 own diffusing process, he said, involves spending time with his wife, Stacey, and his dog, Scribbles once home.

The 11-year-old chocolate lab accompanied MacLeod when the BUSAR team travelled to Nepal in 2015, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the landlocked South Asian country, claiming the lives of an estimated 9,000 people and injuring many more. Due to her age now, however, she was not able to join the mission to Turkey.

The death toll in Turkey and Syria, as of Tuesday (Feb. 21) had reportedly surpassed 47,000. Compounded by additional quakes that struck Feb. 20, it continues to climb.

The disaster is a good reminder to be prepared for emergencies locally, MacLeod agreed. According to , everyone should plan to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours, with an organized and easy-to-locate kit.

In a disaster of the magnitude seen in Turkey and Syria, 72 hours乌鸦传媒� worth of supplies 乌鸦传媒渨ould be just scratching the surface,乌鸦传媒� MacLeod noted.

乌鸦传媒淗aving enough food and water and prescription medicine available is really, really important, and going to an area like this that was so devastating, you can really see how important that would be.乌鸦传媒�

MacLeod said he 乌鸦传媒渁bsolutely乌鸦传媒� wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 hesitate to respond to future events. As heartbreaking as they can be, they also unite people from around the globe with the common goal of helping others, while providing insight to just how strong people impacted by such events can be.

乌鸦传媒淚 have immense respect for the people of Turkey and their resiliency in being able to work through this crisis, this disaster, and continue to keep their spirits up, their strength,乌鸦传媒� he said.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 amazing.乌鸦传媒�

Fundraising to aid in the disaster efforts is ongoing. For more information, visit . To support BUSAR乌鸦传媒檚 efforts, donations may be made at