Key Points
- Shepparton Turkish community leader Servet Doktoroğlu opens house to people displaced by floods
- Community didn't heed advice to prepare for floods: SES volunteer Betul Tuna
- Government messages fail to reach migrants in their language at every disaster, say locals
When flood waters began to rise suddenly in Shepparton last Saturday night, local authorities were forced to close the only road Servet Doktoroğlu could take home.
He rang his wife, Ünsal, to let her know he would sleep at the restaurant that night.
Ünsal Doktoroğlu was worried and scared.
She didn’t want to stay alone all night and so she asked her friends Dudu Erdaş and husband Orhan, whose house was also in danger of going under water, to come over for the night.
When they reached Ünsal’s house, they found another friend, Nafiye Eriklioglu already there. Her house was in danger too.
Servet reached home the next morning after taking a long detour.
In a short time, the number of 'refugee' families in the Doktoroğlu house increased to three. A total of 10 people including children are currently feeling safe and comfortable there.
Our home is safe, water can’t reach here and our children no longer live with us, so, we can take people to our home” Mr Doktoroğlu told SBS Turkish.
He thinks even if the waters recede, it will still be impossible for people to go back home any time soon.
Mr Doktoroğlu went with Mr Erdas to see check out his house on Sunday and assess the damage. Flood waters were a mere 10 cm away from the front door.
When they went again the next day, the house was 10 cm deep in water.
Mr Erdaş was glad they left on Saturday night.
“We are insured but I don’t know if our insurance covers the flood water. We need check,” he says with concern.
Ms Eriklioğlu is the most worried amongst all guests in the Doktoroğlu’s house.
She lives alone. A neighbour came home and told her "it was to time to go".
Ms Eriklioğlu took her medicines, a few clothes and left.
She doesn’t know if her house is flooded or when she can go home.
I don’t know what’s happened to my home,” she wonders with worry.
Mr Doktoroğlu says Mrs Eriklioğlu’s house cannot be reached for now, so they don’t know what state it is in.
Shepparton residents didn’t pay heed to flood warnings, say SES volunteers. Source: Supplied / Servet Doktoroğlu
We have around 250 Turkish families here in Shepparton. Between 25 and 30 homes went under water or are about to flood,” he says.
That’s 10 per cent of the local Turkish community, which is only a simplistic measure of the extent of damage the entire community has endured.
Mr Doktoroğlu is constantly on the phone coordinating relief work, asking people how they are and what they need.
“We all know each other and have a good communication network. If something happens in one suburb, we contact each other.
"Also, the imam is publishing critical information on the mosque’s website and Facebook page. We even inform newly-settled communities like Afghans through the mosque channels,” he adds.
Shepparton's first large-scale disaster
“We don’t have any people old enough to tell us how terrible the 1974 floods were. They are all gone," Mr Doktoroğlu says.
He regrets that although sandbags were available in the days before the flood, they didn’t take the threat seriously enough.
“We didn’t have any experience of floods. We knew something was coming but not exactly what,” he laments.
Communication is a big problem here even in your own language," Betül Tuna says.
Betul Tuna is the manager of the Point of Difference Studio, a non-profit organisation led by migrant women in Shepparton.
She is volunteering with flood recovery operations.
She rings people to warn them to be prepared. She rings them again to check if they are doing what they're supposed to do.
“We are working with the SES to evacuate vulnerable people like the elderly and the sick since houses started to submerge. We ring them to ask them to get ready to leave or if they need the SES to send boats.
"In the last three days, I prepared sandbags, coordinated volunteers and organised accommodation and food,” Ms Tuna tells SBS Turkish.
Betül Tuna with another volunteer.
She rings people to warn them to be prepared. She rings them again to check if they are doing what they're supposed to do.
“We are working with the SES to evacuate vulnerable people like the elderly and the sick since houses started to submerge. We ring them to ask them to get ready to leave or if they need the SES to send boats.
"In the last three days, I prepared sandbags, coordinated volunteers and organised accommodation and food,” Ms Tuna tells SBS Turkish.
She believes sunshine and good weather deluded people about the impending flood.
I ring people to ask if they are prepared and have done what they were asked to do two days ago. The answer is ‘no’.
"People did not understand how serious the situation was. We didn't have volunteers enough to convince them. They needed official authorities to tell them clearly in the tone they understand.
Departments failed to reach people in their language. This happens all the time. It happened during the pandemic, it happened during the bushfires.
"The needs of migrant communities are the last priority. They tend to forget that 70 per cent of the community are migrants," Ms Tuna rues.
