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.
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.
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.
Moved to see Scott Timmester of the @usnavy, Selma Sahin, and so many others who are volunteering at the Turkish Embassy to organize and send donations to Turkiye and Syria after the deadly earthquakes. pic.twitter.com/HaUwIT4jTj
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 15, 2023