WASHINGTON, D.C.: Emgage joins the rest of the world in mourning the victims of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday morning. The areas most severely affected are in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, home to millions of displaced Syrians who have sought safety from the violence inflicted upon them by the Assad regime and his allies. People in northwest Syria in particular are especially vulnerable given the already-weakened infrastructure, lack of heavy recovery equipment and fuel, and limited access to affected areas.
As of Monday afternoon, at least 2,900 people have died and thousands are injured as a result of the earthquake and its aftershocks. Thousands of buildings have collapsed across the affected areas in both countries.
“This is an absolute tragedy,” said Wa’el Alzayat, Emgage CEO. “The communities affected by this disaster have been through so much trauma. Many have already been displaced once or twice because of bombings and airstrikes by the Syrian and Russian governments, and are now yet again facing dislocation. We urge the U.S. government to provide the government of Turkey with all possible assistance, and to ensure that any U.S. assistance going to Syria is channeled directly to those affected, and not through the corrupt Syrian regime.”
Emgage urges all concerned citizens and organizations, especially in the Muslim American community, to follow the lead and to seek the input of credible Syrian American organizations that have contacts on the ground in the affected areas in Turkey and Syria, as they consider their response to this crisis.
Organizations currently seeking support include:
Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS)
Syria Relief and Development (SRD)
Syrian Forum USA
MedGlobal
Rahma WorldWide
Swasia Charity Foundation
NuDay Syria
White Helmets
Molham Volunteering Team
Atlantic Humanitarian Relief
ARCS
Mercy Without Limits
Emgage thanks the American Coalition for Syria for providing this list of organizations seeking support.
