As the death toll from a massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria continues to rise, groups in Maine are mobilizing to send medical supplies and winter clothing to the affected areas.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Monday morning, killing thousands in Turkey and northern Syria.
The Portland-based group Partners for World Health, which regularly sends medical supplies to hospitals in Syria, is raising money to expedite its next shipment in response to the earthquake.
CEO Elizabeth McClellan said the group is also trying to find a partner on the ground in Turkey that could accept a second container.
"So if we raise the funds for the shipping," she said, "And we are working diligently now to find a partner who will accept the container, then we can pull it together before the end of the month."
McClellan says it costs between eight and nine thousand dollars to send a shipping container to Turkey.
Meanwhile, one group collecting winter clothing to send to earthquake survivors in Turkey is the Azerbaijan Society of Maine.
Community president Tarlan Ahmadov said the two countries have deep political and cultural ties, and many people in Maine’s Azerbaijani community have personal connections to Turkey.
"And of course, we are devastated by this news," he said. "Because so many people in our community are connected with Turkey, you know, we have families living in Turkey," he said.
Ahmadov said he plans to drive the donated clothing to Boston on Friday, where he'll hand it off to a member of the Turkish community there who is organizing a larger shipment of donated clothing and supplies.
