Man carrying large bag past high stacks of bags and boxes (© Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

People across the United States are donating supplies and raising money to assist earthquake survivors in Türkiye and Syria. 

On February 6, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake leveled buildings and killed thousands of people southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria. The U.S. government quickly deployed search and rescue crews to the region and has announced $85 million in emergency assistance. 

Here are five ways people across the United States are contributing to Türkiye and Syria’s recovery. 

Man reaching for box to put on truck being loaded on city street (© David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)
A man loads boxes of donations near the Freerange Market in Medford, Massachusetts where people are collecting supplies for earthquake survivors. (© David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)

Donating necessities 

At the Freerange Market, in Medford, Massachusetts, hundreds of people have donated winter clothing, baby formula, hygiene products and other necessities. Truckloads of supplies have shipped to Türkiye, according to Cenk Emre, owner of the market, which serves as a gathering place for Turkish immigrants near Boston. 

“It is just people getting together, neighbor telling neighbor, friend telling friend,” Emre told CBS News Boston. 

Setting up hospitals 

Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief group, based in Boone, North Carolina opened a 52-bed emergency field hospital in Antakya, Türkiye, and began treating earthquake victims on February 13. 

Supplies being offloaded from military airplane (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sergeant Gabrielle Winn)
On February 10, U.S. military members at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, offload the 52-bed field hospital that Samaritan’s Purse is using for humanitarian relief efforts in Turkiye. (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Gabrielle Winn)

Treating survivors 

Doctors and nurses from the Syrian American Medical Association, based in Ohio, have treated more than 2,000 earthquake survivors, according to the BBC. 

The medical association, which suffered earthquake damage to four of its facilities, has over 1,700 staff in Syria and is sending more workers to heavily affected areas. 

Raising money 

Nechirvan Zebari, a Seattle baker, along with community volunteers, is selling Manakish to raise funds for relief efforts. Zebari wants people to taste the dish that is popular Türkiye and Syria while raising money to support people in those countries. “We want to maximize the amount of money we can send there,” he told the Seattle Times. 

Sending emergency supplies

In the days after the earthquake, volunteers gathered outside Türkiye’s embassy in Washington sorting clothes, medicine, batteries, shoes, baby formula and emergency equipment bound for affected communities. 

“Our hearts are with the people in Türkiye and we know they’re in pain, and that causes us pain,” said Selma Sahin, an embassy volunteer who organized donations. 

Resources

U.S. Department of State

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