Photo by @JohnStanmeyer A #dustdevil picks up dirt and plant debris pulverized by the migration out of #Syria. Relatives, friends, and helpful strangers—waiting to welcome the refugees as they walk into #Turkey—were caught in the maelstrom. Fleeing Terror, Finding Refuge ~ My latest story for @NatGeo magazine on #Syrianrefugees in Turkey, Part IV of the @outofedenwalk, published in the March 2015 issue, available now at newsstands everywhere. PERSONAL NOTES: My friend, Stanislas, told me this story while driving through the desert in Djibouti during part I of the Out of Eden Walk. It went something like this. “We need to stay clear of that!”, Stanislas shouted, pointing at a cyclone of dust in the distance. “Why?” I uttered is a sense of disbelieve. "I’m fascinated by dust devils!” Stanislas explained a local tale: “When a dust devil comes, it snatches people, taking you to a place of no return!” Fascinated by legends, I explained that dust devil's form when hot air at the surface rises quickly through a narrow pocket of cooler, low-pressure air, above it — and yes, potentially dangerous if severe yet rarely causing death. He wanted nothing scientific. For Stanislas, dust devils are evil. It was Saturday, Sept 20, 2014, day two of a mass exodus of Syrian Kurd's fleeing the arrival of ISIS to their city, Müsitpinar (Kobani). By late afternoon, over 50,000 had crossed into neighboring Turkey, churning topsoil of a former pepper field into a pathway I’d only seen engraved by mining truck tires as tall as elephants. Standing along this footpath of forced migration, in the distance I saw it — a dust devil. By extraordinary chance it was heading straight towards me and a crowd of hundreds. Instead of running, I had to witness what my friend feared. Putting camera to face as an eye shield, I photographed the alleged evil as it plowed straight into us. It was staggering — a whistling roar, whirling debris lasting but a second. Followed by silence, still standing, not transported to the underworld. Pick up the March 2015 edition of National Geographic with an powerful manuscript by #PaulSalopek ~ John S @NatGeoCreative #fleeingterrorfindingrefuge
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