Triangle Turkish community rallies to help victims of earthquake

CARY, NC. (WTVD) -- Binnur Oskar can hardly convey what she's feeling.

"We are so sad," she said Monday. "It's very big, very bad."

Binnur said her family is OK after the devastating earthquake in southeastern Turkey.

But she's still not sure about several cousins and even a co-worker.

"We still haven't heard from a lot of our family members," said Alperen, Oskar's son. "We know some of them are passed away. Some of them are under the rubble, the aftershocks are still going on."

The family owns a nursing home in the town of Marash and had to evacuate more than 150 people from that building.

ABC11 spoke with them at the American Turkish Association of North Carolina in Cary. They called an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the best ways to help.

"This is a very big earthquake," said Buket Ayedmir, past president of the association. "It's very cold right there, and the roads are damaged and the challenges are doubled and tripled. If I don't do anything, I'll keep crying so that's why we come together."

The group is asking for donations of any kind and you can do so on their website.

"Anything could help right now," said Alperen. "Any money donations, any donations of goods or hand warmers or blankets, anything you can help with."