Local Turkish community center accepting donations for those impacted by deadly earthquake

DAYTON — Turkey is more than 5,000 miles from Ohio, but people in our community are still in pain seeing the miles and miles of destruction after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Monday.

People at the Aniska Turkish American Community Center said they have been on the phone nonstop with people who are in Turkey impacted by the earthquake that has killed more than 7,200 people.

Islom Shakhbandarov, President of the Aniska Turkish American Community Center, said he’s devastated by the images coming out of Turkey, especially after just being there in December.

>> Photos: Thousands killed in earthquake in Turkey and Syria

“It’s a nightmare and the feeling was, you know, when you feel that you can’t do nothing,” Shakhbandarov said.

Shakhbandarov’s phone kept ringing when News Center 7 spoke to him Tuesday afternoon. People were calling him from Turkey, describing what they were going through.

“They hear their loved ones and then when they hear their family and they can’t do nothing,” Shakhbandarov said.

While it’s difficult to take those calls and constantly get photos and videos from the devastation, Shakhbandarov said he is one of the lucky ones. None of his immediate family has been hurt, but some people he has spoken to haven’t been as lucky.

“I was talking [to] someone that lost very close family members,” he said. “He lost is niece, his brother and his wife. It’s difficult to kind of express this.”

>> Thousands killed by powerful quake in Turkey, Syria; death toll expected to rise

Shakhbandarov told News Center 7 that he will be going to Turkey next week to help.

To help those in Turkey, the Aniska Turkish American Community Center is accepting donations of blankets, tents, sleeping bags, pocket warmers, winter clothing and over-the-counter medications for the flu and and colds, as well as pain killers.

Anyone looking to drop off items are asked to put them in a bag with an itemized list of what’s inside.

Items can be dropped off at the center, located at 1306 E. Fifth Street in Dayton, on Friday.

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