Pangbourne Rotary Club responds to Turkey disaster appeal

Pangbourne Rotary Club has contributed £1,000 to Turkey's disaster relief appeal, made possible by public generosity.

The club's international team leader Deo Bikale confirms this relief has reached Rotary District 2430 in Turkey.

And the club has received the following update from district governor, Dr Emre Öztürk.

"The current situation is very tragic," said Dr Öztürk.

"The two successive and big earthquakes, along with the aftershocks, have been effective in 10 cities where more than 13 million people live.

"This is one of the biggest disasters of the geography we are living in, leaving a huge destruction and debris.

"The freezing cold makes it hard to survive and the lack of electricity, natural gas and accommodation is a major problem for the survivors.

"The government has declared a state of emergency. The army has been given a role to help the rescue teams.

"Currently, we are sending generators, tents, winter cloths, diapers, hygienic peds, food, water and fuel. Also, we have sent several excavators and similar construction vehicles.

"We have four Rotary centres in the region in Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep and Malatya where we provide either accommodation, food or both.

"We are in touch with Shelterbox; their team is arriving tomorrow. SOS has already came with generators and tents and on their way to Elbistan, the epicentre of the earthquake.

"In the meantime, we are accepting donations to our district accounts for the future rehabilitations.

"We have opened accounts for other donations. Should any Rotarian or club would like to donate, they are more than welcome."

Visit https://rotary2430.org.tr/deprem-bagisi if you wish to donate.