BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The death toll following devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria is continuing to rise, with more than 15,000 are reported to have died.
Crews are working around the clock to rescue those trapped in the rubble but hope of finding survivors is dwindling because of time and weather.
The natural disaster is impacting Turkish students studying at Indiana University. They, along with school leaders, are taking action to help survivors halfway around the world.
For IU Ph.D. student Selim Yavuz, it's hard to be away from his home country of Turkey as this disaster unfolds.
"In our country, we've experienced earthquakes before. When I was 7 years old, there was a big earthquake in my city. I still remember how difficult it was. But now, 10 big cities are affected," said Selim Yavuz, a third-year Ph.D. student at IU studying mathematics in education and president of the Turkish Student Association at Indiana University.
Unable to focus on school work, Yavuz said he and other Turkish students in Bloomington want to take action and help survivors.
"We want to do something. We try to help, but we're really far away," Yavuz said. "And even just the first two days, we couldn't reach our friends. And then we heard they lost their families, some of them, and still try to care for others because people are still under the buildings, trying to wait to rescue."
"We've heard stories from students that have unaccounted for family members. We're aware of at least one that has suffered a loss in their family," said Dr. John Wilkerson, associate vice president of international services at IU.
Wilkerson said they're reaching out to the students, researchers and faculty impacted by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, ready to step in with counseling services and emotional support for students. But they're also helping out on the academic side and stepping in where students need it, so they can focus on family and friends back home.
"It can be as simple as helping to delay bursar bills or, sometimes, it becomes very difficult to get money in and out of a country in crisis, it runs the gamut. And that's when the student-specific care really comes into play," Wilkerson said.
Their office, along with the Turkish Student Association, are raising money and collecting winter gear to send earthquake victims as soon as possible.
"We all just focus on what can we do to save more people, because earthquake is finished maybe, but people don't have houses and may need food, may need clothes," Yavuz said.
With thousands of families hit hard, Yavuz said they want to do their part to help.
"We need all the world's help," Yavuz said.
Yavuz, along with Turkish students in Bloomington, have set up a GoFundMe page to help fund relief efforts in Turkey. So far, they've raised more than $3,000.
Wilkerson said they're also working to help send warm clothes to earthquake survivors.
“We’ve also provided funding for a program that the Turkish embassy quickly put together that is accepting donations for winter wear and coats. We are shipping those donations to the embassy where Turkish Airlines is going to clear them through the customs process quickly and get those items in the hands of those who need them,” Wilkerson said.
Anyone interested in donating money, supplies or warm clothes can contact the Indiana University Turkish Student Association at tsaiubloomington@gmail.com or the Office of International Services at ois@iu.edu.
For more information on what supplies are needed, the Turkish Embassy in Chicago has posted a list here.