The Scot overseeing the UK's relief efforts in the devastated southern Turkey thinks the crisis is finally starting to ease after four months.
In the hours following the earthquakes in February, Erlend Linklater of Selkirk oversaw the dispatch of British rescue teams.
A field hospital was also established by the 48-year-old in the district of Gaziantep that had been completely destroyed.
The end of the tunnel is in sight, according to Erlend, even though progress has been slow. " .
Two enormous earthquakes that occurred on February 6 killed nearly 60,000 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria.
As thousands of buildings either completely or partially collapsed, many more people were hurt and forced to flee their homes.
Around 3.7 million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey during Erlend's four years there working as a humanitarian adviser for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
He was astounded by the magnitude of the casualties and destruction despite having previously worked in some of the most war-torn nations in the world, including southern Sudan, Angola, and Afghanistan.
Those who work in conflict zones are accustomed to seeing destroyed buildings, but if they are close to the front lines, the civilian population has frequently been evacuated, the man said.
The terrifying aspect of the earthquake is that there was no warning and it struck at four in the morning, when most people were asleep, making every collapsed structure you see a mass graveyard.
"I've worked in live conflicts for a number of years where there is a lot of shooting and bombing, but in terms of the emotional impact, this is one of the hardest things I've had to work on. ".
Since the earthquakes, the Scot has continued to lead the UK government's relief operations.
He initially oversaw the dispatch of 77 search and rescue personnel, and in the days following the devastating tremors, he assisted in organizing a joint field hospital in Gaziantep for the FCDO and the Ministry of Defense.
The temporary medical base has since provided care for more than 20,000 patients.
Erlend has also helped ensure that £43 million in aid from the UK government reaches the areas most severely affected.
In the affected areas, he asserted, "I don't believe there is a person who does not know someone who has died. There are so many mourners.
"It has compounded and made it hit home even harder because some of the worst affected places, like Hatay, were places I knew well, frequented, and loved. ".
Erlend thinks that after four months, discernible progress is now being made, despite the fact that about 2.4 million people are still housed in camps and other temporary locations.
"We are still providing shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene, and we're doing everything we can to stop the spread of disease," he continued.
"Even though my base is in Ankara, every time I travel there, I see development.
Despite the fact that there is still a long way to go, I can finally say after more than four months that there is hope.
. "