Amid staggering blow of 7.8 magnitude earthquake, here’s how South Floridians can help
Oğuzhan Gönüllü, a Miamian from Turkey who lost several relatives in this month’s devastating earthquake, says one thing that gives him hope is how caring his American friends have been since the disaster. It has been a time of healing. He was also invited to the Turkish Consulate to meet with the consul general, who offered her condolences and support.
The Turkish consulate, one of just six in the United States, is helping coordinate relief efforts here, under the supervision of General Consul Feyza Barutçu.
She has been collecting donated items, especially tents, generators, and warm blankets for shipment to Turkey. In the first week, with the support of business leaders, those born in Turkey and not, she sent 127 pallets by air and 11 pallets by direct sea line to Turkey. She also dispatched donated goods in the cargo section of Turkish Airlines passenger flights, which connect directly from Miami to Istanbul twice daily.
She stressed that cash donations, not material goods, are what is most needed at this moment, as the logistical challenges to getting items to Turkey are complicated.
One of the people the consul general has been working closely with is Ece Saglam, 32, who has lived in Miami for the past six years and is the vice president of the shipping, logistics and service company LAM Global Transport Solutions.
In the first post-quake week, her company’s offices and warehouse in Miami shifted from a global shipping and logistics company to a center that receives, sorts, labels and packages donated goods for distribution to Turkey, she said.
Just an hour or so before she spoke, a truck filled with baby formula, diapers, men’s clothing and blankets drove out of the warehouse area in Miami to be transported to the airport, where it was to be loaded into the cargo area of Turkish Airlines planes and flown from Miami to Istanbul.
“We all feel guilty we cannot be there,” said Saglam, holding back tears.
If you would like to donate to relief efforts in Turkey and Syria, which was also hit hard, here are some organizations involved in relief efforts:
▪ Official Transfer Account for Donations from the United States
Bank Name: Bank of America
Branch Name: Dupont Circle
Address: 3 Dupont Circle NW, Washington, D.C., 20036
Account name: Embassy of the Republic of Turkey Official Transfer Account
Currency: USD
Account number: 00019 2343 0455
Routing number: 054001204
Swift No: BOFAUS3N
▪ Turkish Philanthropy Funds
Online: https://tinyurl.com/mry45h39
You can also contribute to the TPF’s Türkiye Earthquake Relief Fund by sending your check to:
Re: TPF’s Türkiye Earthquake Relief Fund
1460 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
- Jewish Federation of Broward County
https://tinyurl.com/yxyfezht
▪ Turk Kizilay (Turkish National Red Cross)
https://www.kizilay.org.tr/Bagis
Note: When donating to the Turkish National Red Cross, you can designate donations for disaster tents, mobile kitchen or general cash donations.
▪ International Rescue Committee
https://tinyurl.com/mtjedzwy
▪ Save the Children, Children’s Emergency Fund
https://tinyurl.com/4dbyssx6
▪ Syrian American Medical Society Foundation
https://www.sams-usa.net/donate/
▪ Center for Disaster Philanthropy
https://disasterphilanthropy.org/
▪ Unicef
https://tinyurl.com/2wa5ac7u
Sources: Jewish Federation of Broward, Charity Watch and the Turkish Consulate.
This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 4:45 PM.
