PLAINS, Pa. — It's been more than two weeks since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria, leaving thousands without shelter and food.
"The country was already depleted of all of their resources because of the war, 12 years of war, and then on top of that, the earthquake hits," said Malak Khoudary.
Dr. Raymond Khoudary and his wife Malak moved to Luzerne County in 1994 from Aleppo, Syria. They opened their own allergist practice in Plains Township.
Both still have family in Syria on the border of Turkey who were impacted by the destruction.
"Thank God my siblings who are still there are OK. Their house is damaged but still livable. The loss was material — broken glasses, broken TV. Physically, they are OK, but emotionally they are nervous," explained Raymond Khoudary.
They tell Newswatch 16 that many people are worse off living in tents or cars.
As part of the relief efforts, they are working with the nonprofit Togetherness U.S. to collect donations to help the survivors.
"We feel obligated to help them out, and we started a campaign to raise funds so we can help. The help is needed in many ways. They need places to stay, food to eat, clothes, and medicine," said Raymond.
"I know a lot of people in our area, they feel they want to help, but they don't know how. So, we are providing that channel for them," said Malak.
The Khoudarys have been in contact with their families in Syria every day since the tragedy. They shared photos of their church in Aleppo serving as a shelter for the survivors.
"They were the first to open their doors. They sheltered almost 400 people on the day the earthquake happened, and they provided them with food and safety, that feeling that they had a place to go," said Malak.
The Khoudarys say the relief efforts will be needed for quite some time.
Donations can be sent to:
Togetherness US
190 S. River Street,
Plains, PA 18705.
To learn more, visit Togetherness U.S.
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