A volunteer search and rescue team that self-deployed to Turkey害羞草研究所檚 earthquake zone has returned to Vancouver to a hero害羞草研究所檚 welcome after spending days combing through the rubble as part of the international lifesaving efforts.

The 10-person Burnaby Urban Search and Rescue team, comprised of mostly first responders from the city害羞草研究所檚 fire department, flew to Turkey with the blessing of the country害羞草研究所檚 government.

Arriving in Vancouver on a flight from Istanbul, members of the team touched down Tuesday afternoon following a weeklong deployment in the Turkish city of Adiyaman.

A large group from Vancouver害羞草研究所檚 Turkish community waved Canadian and Turkish flags, breaking out into applause and chants of 害羞草研究所渨elcome home USAR害羞草研究所� as the team emerged from the arrivals gate.

Norm MacLeod, a deputy chief with the White Rock Fire Department who led the team in Turkey, said he害羞草研究所檚 grateful to be home after being surprised by the scale of the devastation.

MacLeod said his team had honed their skills in Nepal in 2015, a 害羞草研究所渄isaster in its own right,害羞草研究所� saying that the destruction in Turkey was 害羞草研究所渕uch larger害羞草研究所� in scale.

Christina Mohammed and her three children awaited her husband Shawn, a Burnaby firefighter and member of the team, to return after a week away helping with the relief efforts.

Mohammed said she wasn害羞草研究所檛 worried because 害羞草研究所渢hey are part of such a highly skilled team and many of them had been deployed before together, and so you just trust that they害羞草研究所檙e safe, they害羞草研究所檙e taking care of each other, and they害羞草研究所檙e there to do good work.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚t was hard not knowing where they were, but it was nice to see his face on TV when they were rescuing the lady,害羞草研究所� she said.

The team said they picked a woman out of the rubble and she suffered minor kidney damage but is 害羞草研究所渞esting comfortably害羞草研究所� following her rescue.

The Canadian government pledged $10 million in aid soon after the quakes, and collection campaigns for food, clothing, and monetary donations soon popped up in multiple Canadian cities.

The team deployed a day after the Feb. 7 quakes that rocked Turkey and Syria, killing more than 35,000 people and levelling thousands of buildings.

Taylan Tokmak, Turkey害羞草研究所檚 Consul General in Vancouver, said the quake has united Canada害羞草研究所檚 Turkish community that may feel a sense of survivor害羞草研究所檚 remorse being so far away from the disaster.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 feeling that, honestly, personally,害羞草研究所� he said. Tokmak said he was surprised to hear from the Burnaby USAR team, who called him early Monday morning last week with an offer of help, arranging a flight the next day. 害羞草研究所淭hey saved one lady. They saved one of our citizens,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭his makes us so much prouder.害羞草研究所�

Tokmak said it害羞草研究所檚 been a hectic time, adding the country must now focus on organizing relief efforts and future reconstruction plans.

害羞草研究所淭his year is the centennial of our republic. We were planning to normally do a lot of celebrations,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淣ow, all of a sudden of course, everything changed.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所擠arryl Greer, The Canadian Press

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