Porsche will donate €1 million to aid earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The company made its donation to Aktion Deutschland Hilft. It's also calling on its workforce to contribute as well.
"Our thoughts are with the victims and all those who have lost family members, friends, or their homes and livelihoods in this devastating disaster," said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG.
Porsche says that its donation will be used for immediate humanitarian aid on the ground. The donation through Aktion Deutschland Hilft will help fund an assortment of activities to aid victims, including providing shelter, clean-up work, and securing dangerous areas. It could also assist in searching for missing people while providing medical support, procuring food, and catering for emergency workers.
"I am shocked by the images reaching us from Turkey and Syria," said Harald Buck, Porsche AG's Works Council Chairman. "Many of our colleagues have friends and families in the affected areas. For us, it is a matter of course that we provide help here together."
Porsche is also asking its workforce to donate through its internal Porsche Hilft (Porsche Helps) portal. The automaker has selected four established aid organizations that are currently working on the ground in the affected countries.
The earthquake struck near the Turkey-Syria border on February 6 at around 4 a.m. local time when most people were still asleep. The initial quake registered a devastating 7.8 magnitude, and more than 1,000 aftershocks struck the region hours after the initial one. However, nine hours after the first one, an unusually powerful aftershock registered at a 7.7 magnitude caused even more destruction, complicating rescue efforts across the region that had been underway.
According to CNN, the death toll from the quake has topped 23,000 as of today. The death toll in Turkey alone has reached over 20,000. Rescuers continue to find people alive in the rubble four days after the earthquake, giving emergency personnel hope they will find more people alive. However, time is of the essence for these rescue efforts.
