DENVER — As the death toll continues to rise in areas of Turkey and Syria hit by deadly earthquakes, the Turkish American Cultural Society of Colorado (TACSCO) is working to help those directly impacted by the natural disasters.
“My initial reaction when I saw what the magnitude was, and saw what the location was, was that this was going to be an absolute humanitarian disaster," said William Barnhart, a geophysicist at the US Geological Survey in Golden.
Erol Elmas has lived in Colorado for almost three decades and is originally from Istanbul. He was just in Turkey a little less than a month ago, and is devastated to see the damage the earthquakes had on his home.
"Over hundreds of thousands of people are under the rubble right now... no one can hear you, no one can reach you," Elmas said. “People are scared, everyone's on the street... That's what makes me sad, and that's what makes me cry... This is the disaster of disasters in Turkey right now.”
Elmas has fortunately been able to speak with his mother, but has friends all over Turkey and has heard their terrifying accounts.
“My friend's older brother's wife and daughter are under the building. His brother and nephew, they live on the fourth story, and the wife and daughter were on third story of the building," Elmas explained. “The brother and nephew went to the balcony. So when the building collapsed, they fell to the street. Still under rubble, but people pulled them out very fast. But the wife and the daughter are still under the building, and he says that he's got about 30 people under the rubble right now.”
Elmas is angry that more buildings in Turkey are not able to withstand earthquakes, and believes there ought to be more accountability when it comes to the people responsible for constructing them.
“The earthquake doesn't kill people, buildings kills people," Elmas said. “We all come to this world to live happily, day by day. And in the middle of the night, that you are waking up under the rubbles, it's unfair.”
TACSCO is looking to collect donations for those impacted, including:
- Winter clothes for adults and children
- Equipment such as tents, blankets, sleeping bags, or flashlights
- Food boxes
- Baby formula
- Diapers
- Hygiene products
A full list of needed items can be found on TACSCO's Facebook page.
Donations can be dropped off until Thursday, Feb.9, which will give volunteers time to sort and organize donations for their first planned shipment over the weekend. Subsequent shipments are also planned until donations are no longer needed.
All donation items should be placed in clear bags, with an itemized list of the contents in the bag. Elmas' shop, CC Framer, is one of the drop-off locations for donations.
“We will actually have representatives driving out to Los Angeles, to the consulate out there, which represents the Turkish American community here in Colorado," said Sinan Sahin, a TACSCO board member and a past president of the group. “The Turkish government is working with Turkish Airlines to make sure that they get to the hands of the people that need them in a quick manner.”
TACSCO said they will continue to add more donation drop-off locations, but as of Monday evening, the sites include:
- Aurora — Happy Ladybug Early Learning, 2005 Willow St
- Boulder — Belgin Yucelen Studio, 103 Canyon Boulevard
- Colorado Springs — 877 Altamont Ridge Drive
- Fort Collins — 2708 Rawahs Way
- Denver — Istanbul Cafe, 850 S Monaco Pkwy, Unit 9
- Denver — CC Framer, 2422 East 6th Avenue
- Golden — CSM Petroleum Engineering Department, PE Administration Office, Room #206, 1600 Arapahoe Street
- Golden — Adventure In Colors, 1800 Jackson Street #214
- Parker — 9628 Keystone Trail
- Thornton — 10060 Quivas Street
Those with TACSCO said monetary donations are also extremely valuable. The group is collecting donations under the Turkish Philanthropy Funds, which is a nonprofit organization.
