Selim Yavuz, an IU graduate student and president of the Turkish Student Association, said he did not know if his family was dead or alive in the 48 hours following the onset of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey and Northern Syria on Feb. 6. As he viewed news reports, photos and broadcasts reflecting the destruction and rising death toll of the earthquake, which has surpassed 28,000, Yavuz was unable to reach his brother and cousins on the other side of the world.
“We watched the television and followed Twitter and social media accounts but when we called them, some of them lost their phones,” Yavuz said. “If they lose their phones we cannot reach them, so we just waited and we prayed they were okay.”
Unable to focus on school and work, Yavuz said TSA members decided to launch a fundraiser to support disaster relief in the country more than 5,000 miles away from Bloomington. According to the group’s fundraising page, all donations will be transferred to the AHBAP, a Turkish non-profit working to distribute earthquake relief in southeastern Turkey. TSA has raised more than $16,000 since the start of the fundraiser on Feb. 8.
In the days following the initial earthquake, Yavuz said he had not gotten a good night's sleep, waking up each night to contact his family in Turkey, which is eight hours ahead of Bloomington’s time zone. For Yavuz, the recent natural disaster — now considered the deadliest earthquake since 2000 — has been a source of pain.
“In our country, there are 80 million people — 80 million different stories. And they were really painful stories for all of us,” Yavuz said. “We have lost, but we have to be strong because we still have people who need our help.”
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Huseyin Amac, social chair for TSA, said the fundraiser is a way to continue helping survivors most affected by the earthquake.
“80 million people — all the population — just stopped whatever they were doing,” Amac said. “They’re just helping right now.”
Filiz Akyuz, an IU graduate student and vice president of TSA, said she has spoken to IU students who have lost family members or whose families have been significantly affected by the earthquake.
“It shouldn’t be over any politics; it’s all about humanity,” Akyuz said. “People are still trying to give as much as they can. It should be concerning to everyone in the world.”
In addition to donating, Akyuz said students, staff and faculty can provide emotional support for Bloomington Turkish community members. Yavuz said TSA is open to meeting with other student organizations on campus to discuss the crisis and figure out how other people can help.
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Akyuz encourages those struggling with the impact of the earthquake to reach out to TSA and attend support meetings.
“They should reach out to us first if they want to just talk,” Akyuz said. “They should be keeping in touch and just try to be together.”
According to a statement posted on Twitter, John Wilkerson, Associate Vice President for International Services, said those who need assistance can reach an Office of International Services staff member by calling 812-855-9086 and asking to meet with an advisor. The statement said students can seek support through the Counseling and Psychological Services, while employees can access counseling through the Employee Assistance Program.
