ANNVILLE, Pa. — Rescue workers continue to scramble after the massive earthquakes that struck Turkey and parts of Syria as the pictures of the destruction continue to shock people worldwide.
“Some scenes are like scenes from dystopian movies," said Can Yüce, a history professor at Lebanon Valley College.
Yüce is a former journalist from Turkey and still has friends and family who live in the country. He says 10 cities in southeastern Turkey were impacted by the earthquake—an area which is inhabited by 13 million people.
“It is like having an epicenter of an earthquake in Harrisburg and buildings in New York City are collapsing," said Yüce.
Yüce's friends who have family living in the region say the scene is chaotic, as rescue workers struggle to reach survivors trapped underneath the rubble.
The current death toll is at 7,700 people and more than 400,000 people taking refuge in temporary shelters.
“The best way to understand what is going on is social media," said Yüce. "People from the disaster region are posting videos and pictures, and it doesn’t look good.”
Organizations like the Red Cross are taking donations, and sending food and medical supplies to the disaster region. Yüce urges Pennsylvanians to find ways to help those who survived the earthquake.
“People desperately need the help. It is very cold, some people froze to death, survivors froze to death," he said. "They need blankets, it is snowing, and there is no power or clean water.”
More than 70 countries are offering aid to Turkey and Syria. Turkey's president has declared a state of emergency in the wake of the disaster.
