Windsor's Turkish, Syrian communities rally to help following earthquakes

When news broke about the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Ahmad Chaker was one of many in the area frantically trying to get a hold of loved ones.

"Last night before we went to sleep we had the breaking news," Chaker said. "It took me more than two hours to follow up with what was going on."

Chaker, born in Syria, has been a family physician in Windsor for more than 15 years.

"We tried to get in touch with them. Not everyone was reachable," Chaker said. "This morning I was able to talk to people. One of them was crying from what he was seeing. The other one was shocked. Everybody is shocked. It's unbelievable."

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, killing more than 3,400 people and injuring thousands more as it toppled buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble.

Authorities fear the death toll would keep climbing as rescuers searched through tangles of metal and concrete for survivors in a region beset by Syria's 12-year civil war and a refugee crisis.

Yassin Almahmmod, owner of House of Syria Sweets in Windsor, is also in disbelief. Speaking with his brother in Syria, he says there are all sorts of problems during this time of need.

"The authorities don't have the right equipment to get people out of the rubble,"Almahmmod said. "People are also sitting in the streets without medicine. And the hospitals are not equipped to help that many people."

The Windsor Islamic Association has members from both Turkey and Syria. They set up a relief fund to help efforts there. Widad Mezahi, communications director for the Windsor Islamic Association, said the devastating images coming out of both countries have compelled the local Muslim community to step up. 

"We as a community want to try to help people as much as possible from that region of the world," Mezahi said. "Especially because we have such prominent members of our community from Turkey and Syria who will have been affected, or will have heard of people that they know who are affected by this. 

So far the fundraiser has raised more than $11,000.