The death toll from the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria yesterday continues to rise. Officials say the number is now higher than 7,200. Thousands of people have been rescued from beneath layers of rubble, but many more are still trapped. “Our country is in great shock,” says a contact in Turkey.
Contacts request our prayers. “Please pray for our country and for the ones who lost their dear ones,” says a contact in Turkey.
Unusually cold weather is hitting the region. Temperatures are below freezing at night. With homes and possessions reduced to rubble, many people are struggling to stay warm. They find shelter in vehicles, public parks, or wherever else they can. In Syria, contacts say churches are filling with people who have nowhere else to go. “Many people are taking shelter in the church,” said a church leader. “It is very cold and their . . . houses are completely destroyed.”
Heartache
Images of heartache are emerging from the earthquake: Fathers weeping as they cradle their children’s bodies; dazed survivors being pulled from layers of concrete and twisted metal; stunned citizens sitting in their neighborhoods, surrounded by devastation. Hospitals and supplies are nearly overwhelmed with the almost constant arrival of injured people pulled from the wreckage.
Help for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria
We continue researching needs and ways to help through well-established contacts. Currently, we are working to provide funds for aid like food, heating materials, and blankets for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. If you wish to help, your support will be a huge blessing!
To help support the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria program, please click the button below to give a gift.
