The earthquake that ravaged Turkey and Syria Sunday night, killing thousands, has been watched with dismay by the Turkish community in Eindhoven. So says the chairman of Eindhoven’s Fatih mosque Hasan Öztürk.
“It’s a big disaster, everyone is shocked”, Öztürk said. “Many people have friends and family living in the areas affected. They are waiting for messages from them from Turkey. Those are difficult times. But we feel a lot of sympathy. Not only from the Turkish community, but also from the Dutch and other communities”.
To help those affected by the earthquake, money is being collected from the Fatih mosque. “This is recommended to us by our national umbrella organisation. If money is collected, relief supplies can be purchased in large quantities. That will also speed up the rescue efforts”, Öztürk said.
Relief campaign
“Winter clothing needs to be bought, tents, beds, powerbanks, storable food, hygiene products for ladies, diapers for babies and children, you name it. But it is important for the rescue operation to be efficient. Many areas are difficult to access and inaccessible to civilians because there is still a danger of building collapse. Also, there may still be aftershocks”.
Pouring money
“Individual relief efforts, the collection of goods, that is of course appreciated. Still, the most important thing now is for emergency services to act quickly. Then donating money is the best way. We are therefore also very happy with, for example, Giro555 where people can deposit money”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
