Turkey Devastated by Major Earthquakes.

Near the town of Gaziantep, Turkey, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 followed by another quake soon after with a 7.5 magnitude struck and left many devastated. All this happened in the early hours of Monday morning and has so far claimed tens of thousands of lives. The buildings there are meant to be resistant, but in South Turkey, they are not as sturdy. 

What is crucial about saving lives is the response time. The chances are higher before 24 hours but decrease significantly after 48 hours. The other side of it is they have to search through a lot of debris and rubble which includes pieces of large buildings that are made out of heavy materials. This means that they only have a small window to save people with fewer injuries than they may obtain, but as it has almost been a week, search and rescue teams are still on the hunt and are continuing to find survivors. 

Within the first 24 hours, rescuers were able to find and save 67 people who were trapped underneath the debris and concrete. Social media has shown that they found a small white dog hidden under rubble a day or two ago. And more than 31,000 people have volunteered to help find the others who are trapped and have been affected significantly by this violent event. So many are still trapped and waiting to be saved, but the number of people still alive is dwindling each and every moment that passes. It is said that 1.05 million people have been left homeless due to the severity of the earthquake and destruction. 

If you pay attention to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media outlets, you might have noticed the fundraisers that have been set up to help the victims of Turkey with all the losses they have experienced. I have seen Instagram stories with people linking fundraisers and popular influencers and celebrities who have donated money as well. Donating is appreciated to those fundraisers but not necessary, feel free just to share the post or word around so it can reach others who may be able to donate to the citizens and visitors of Turkey who have had their lives and belongings ripped away from them. All we can do is share our support whether that be online or sharing by word of mouth.