Arkansas man mourns family in Turkey killed in earthquake

Little Rock, Arkansas – Following terrible earthquakes on Monday and Sunday in Turkey and Syria, rescue operations are still underway today for victims buried under the wreckage. The death toll has reached over 8,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.

Nearby residents are experiencing a global catastrophe. Mehmet Adalar was born and raised in Gaziantep, which is around 30 miles from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake’s epicenter, but he currently resides and works in Little Rock.

“My father told me that it took almost two minutes, and he couldn’t even move while it was happening because of the shock, and I just can’t imagine. How would that be?,” Adalar said.

Soon after the tragic Sunday earthquake that struck the area where Adalar was raised struck, he heard from friends. His first impulse was to check in with his family and friends to see whether they were alright.

“My whole childhood was in that town, and right now, all the images and the scenery they are showing everything is crumbled,” Adalar said.

He said that his father, sister, and brother were not injured and that they had left the city to find shelter with relatives outside of the city. The house of Adalar’s relative, though, was destroyed.

“He and his wife couldn’t survive, so that really affects me, but that’s the hard truth, unfortunately, that we will be facing,” Adalar said.

There will probably be more fatalities in Turkey and Syria. Hypothermia, a new concern brought on by the freezing temperatures, is present for those confined.

Enes Erdin, a Turkish Arkansan, comes from a family that worries about the possibility of an aftershock or other earthquake. He posted a video of his wife’s aunt running out of the city of Adana while sounding terrified.

“The area that is directly affected by the quake is around two-thirds of the state of Arkansas,” Erdin explained.

Adalar and Erdin both volunteer at the Arkansas Culture & Dialog Center to help keep Turkish culture alive for their kids and the many other people who live in the Natural State. They are now hoping that other people will support those in need outside of our borders.

People, according to Adalar, are in need of warm clothing, shelter, and simply a cup of soup.

“Such events they are horrible in some sense, but also make us united,” he stated.

Due of how much more the American dollar is worth in Turkey and the surrounding nations, Arkansas Culture & Dialog Center volunteers said the greatest way for someone to contribute is by making a financial contribution. They suggest Embrace Relief as the charity.