The images coming out of Turkey, and Syria are horrific.
Thousands of people are dead, many more missing, and hundreds of thousands are homeless in the wake of the monster earthquake which hit the region. A magnitude 7.8 quake early Monday was followed by a magnitude 7.5 aftershock.
Two major disaster non-profit relief agencies in Santa Barbara County are stepping up to help. Direct Relief is known globally for providing medical, and medical supplies to areas hit by disasters and war. And, ShelterBox provides tents, and other essential living supplies like solar lamps to those left homeless.
Dan Hovey is the Direct Relief’s Director of International Emergency Response. He said they have sent cash to support search and rescue efforts, and are preparing to send medicine, and medical supplies.
He said the Santa Barbara-based relief organization has some pre-positioned emergency supplies in Europe it can get quickly to the earthquake zone, while its assessment teams look at what’s needed in coming weeks.
Both Direct Relief, and ShelterBox have been working in the region for years. ShelterBox has supplied tents, and household essentials to thousands of Syrian refugees displaced by the violence in the region.
Kerri Murray is President of Shelterbox USA. She said they've worked with other groups in the region, and have had members of their own team on the ground. They are working to assess the exact needs to get critical resources to the quake zone as soon as possible.
Relief agencies like ShelterBox say they have some capacity to handle the crisis, but with all that’s happened in the world recently it is a huge additional strain.
If you want to help, you can find links to the two Santa Barbara County based international relief groups at Direct Relief and Shelterbox.
