On Sunday, as he viewed the devastation from the earthquake that erupted last week in Turkey and Syria, Shaykh Muhammad al-Ninowy, founder and director of Madina Institute, an Islamic seminary in Duluth, remained hopeful.
Even as rescue operations had begun winding down, some survivors were still being pulled from the rubble, he said speaking by phone from Turkey.
“Today we are able to rescue some people. It has been already a week now but we have rescued some young children who were able to survive under the rubble longer than the adults,” al-Ninowy said.
At least two children and a pregnant woman had been found in the wreckage Sunday, The Associated Press reported.
The massive earthquake left a trail of damage through southern Turkey and northern Syria in the pre-dawn hours last Monday, leaving more than 34,000 dead as of Sunday afternoon.
In the aftermath, ground crews have struggled to get supplies and first aid to survivors.
“The devastation is beyond what the news agencies are able to report,” al-Ninowy said, noting the geographic area of the damage is very broad. “The devastation in cities like Marash or Gaziantep to the naked eye is unbelievable.”
Fearing the earthquake would cause wreckage beyond what could be handled locally, al-Ninowy said the organization deployed a small team from the Madina Institute outpost in Istanbul to the area early last week.
The team has been working on the ground to assist survivors, he said, but food parcels and first aid kits are scarce.
Families and rescue workers are sleeping three and four to a tent because there are not enough to go around.
With temperatures dropping below freezing, survivors are also in need of winter tents, blankets, generators and winter clothing but it has been a logistical challenge to get supplies where they need to be.
“The efforts are there and things are flowing to distribution centers but the efficiency is not the way you would want it to be,” al-Ninowy said. “It is getting better but it is not ideal.”
The institute has collected about $20,000 in donations from the community in Georgia to aid the survivors but much more is needed.
There are no clear estimates to the amount of damages, but al-Ninowy said it could easily reach into the billions.
While the Institute is not able to currently accept donations of material items because of the difficult logistics involved in getting shipping containers into the area, Georgia residents who want to assist can provide monetary donations at madinamercy.org.
Al-Ninowy said they are using the money to buy first aid kits, blankets, food parcels and other items and sending them to where they are most needed.
He asked that people continue to offer their thoughts and prayers to those who are suffering in Turkey and Syria to show continued support from the U.S.
“We want to show solidarity and (let them know) that people are with them as well,” he said. “We will keep working and doing what we can.”
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