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Thursday, August 19, 1999
By STEFAN HUPPERT Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- The world sits stunned as more and more news comes out of Istanbul, Turkey. As of the writing of this story, the latest death toll has reached over 4000 men, women and children. Over 20, 000 are injured and countless thousands are unaccounted for as the result of the recent devastating earthquake which shook Istanbul and the surrounding area to its very foundation. Istanbul is half a world away, but for one New Ulm family, the pain and frustration are right at home. Five years ago, Jerry and Lynne Flatau sponsored a young lady from Istanbul named Basak ( pronounced Ba'shak) Samur as a foreign exchange student who attended New Ulm High School as a senior during the 1994-95 school year. "It was very difficult at first, getting used to a cultural ideologies other than German or western European in general", said Lynne Flatau in a phone interview. "But throughout that year, we learned many new things and we were able to successfully bridge the culture gap to such a point that we became very close to each other. So much so that she still refers to us as her American mom and dad", said Flatau. Over the years, the Flataus also became aquainted with Basak's familiy who actually live in a neighboring town which received the brunt of the quake shock. They have been keeping in touch via E-mail; the latest exchange taking place this past Monday as Basak was making plans to visit New Ulm this October. That was their last communication. Since then, every attempt at any kind of contact has been fruitless. Phone and power lines are down, and the Flatau's aren't even sure where in all this mess Basak might even be. "She's a chemical engineer at the Proctor and Gamble facility in Istanbul. They are an ultra-modern facility and are probably one of a few locations in tact enough to be able to offer assistance for shelter, power and volunteers. Knowing her, she's probably out helping if she can and hasn't has a chance to contact us." But here is where Lynne started sounding like the "American mom" Basak has come to know. "I can't even bear to watch CNN reports; it's making me sick. It's like my child is in the midst of this horror and here I am, sitting helpless and wanting to just get her out of there. It's a weird feeling. We're all still is shock", said Flatau. Flatau said that as soon as either she or her husband was able to get any kind of information, it would be shared with The Journal. In the mean time, all anyone can do is pray for all those who are waiting for contanct from their loved ones, both here and in the midst of the horror.
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