Delray Beach tennis player survives earthquake in Turkey

DELRAEY BEACH, Florida. The Delray Beach tennis player survived two earthquakes in Turkey and is now trying to return home to the United States.

Guyale Black said her daughter, “Hurricane Tyra Black”, is now trying to find her way home to Delray Beach.

Rescuers continue to search for survivors under collapsed houses Turkey and Syria. As of Tuesday afternoon, the death toll stands at 7,500, making this one of the deadliest earthquakes in a century.

The 7.8 magnitude quake was followed a few hours later by a 7.5 magnitude quake, each accompanied by several aftershocks. Tens of thousands of people suffered.

Increase

Hurricane Tyra Black from Delray Beach takes part in a tennis tournament in southern Turkey. Her mother, Gayal, turned on the news at 3 am when she couldn’t sleep and saw earthquake news.

“It took me two hours – more than two hours to get her to answer. I was so scared, so scared,” Guyale Black said, “because then you didn’t know if there were rubble around them, you had no idea.”

Relief will wash over her daughter, who has returned home.

“I don’t think I’ll let her go once she’s in my arms. I will be so happy,” Guyale Black said.

While Gayal Black lived in California and survived several earthquakes, her daughter never experienced anything like it.

Hurricane Tyra Black

“She didn’t feel it because it was midnight, but at lunchtime they kicked everyone out of their rooms and everyone sat in the restaurant,” Guyale Black said. “Of course the 7.5 came and she had never been in an earthquake so everyone just started running out of the building. And she said, “I just followed them.”

Guyale Black said her daughter was lucky to stay in the new building, but she can’t wait to get home. She keeps her passport nearby in case she has to flee the building at any moment.

There are hundreds of other tennis players from all over the world in the same area. Now that the tennis tournament has been cancelled, they are all looking for a way to return to Istanbul airport to fly to their countries.