TAMPA, Fla. — Florida has a large Turkish population. There is even a consultant in Miami. ABC Action News spent the day talking to many people right here in the Tampa Bay area who have friends and family impacted by the earthquake. One woman told us her family had just seconds to get out.
“The building collapsed. She grabbed the kids and husband. They are basically in their pajamas in the middle of the night. They could not get anything, no wallet, no money, no water, no ID, just the car keys. I think her husband just grabbed the car keys and they rushed out of the building,” explained Ozlem Ayyer.
ABC Action News also talked with Derin Konca. She is a Turkish student studying at the University of Tampa. She has many friends and family still in Turkey and spoke to them about the damage, which is far away from them. She said they are trying to help with the recovery efforts.
“They felt like the earth was going to crack and they couldn't get out of their houses because it’s so cold outside. It’s snowing there right now in those cities where the earthquake happened. So as soon as they got out, all the houses were broken down. They couldn't move because there was ice. So, it was very difficult for them to get out of the houses,” said Derin Konca.
Konca also told us the area hit the hardest by the earthquake is in a poor region of turkey, so the need for assistance is great!
You can learn how to donate to those impactedhere.
