A Perth businessman is trying to arrange for aid collections for Turkey to be left at his city kebab shop.
Turkish-born Erol Yazgan (41) has been in Scotland for 19 years. He lives in Tulloch, is married to a Perth woman and together they have two children.
But his whole wider family are in Gaziantep, the very centre of the devastating earthquake that killed over 32,000 people just over a week ago.
His mother and father, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces were sleeping in Gaziantep when the horrifying earthquake woke them on Monday, February 6. Thankfully they are all alive and uninjured, but now homeless.
Some of the family are sheltering in the local school hall which is single storey, but others like his sister are sheltering in a metal container, packed in with around 50 children and adults without water or sanitation.
“My sister Tugba is divorced, she has two daughters 17 and 13 and a son,” he said. “They are feeling more aftershocks every few hours. On Sunday night many of the people in the container thought they would go and sleep in nearby damaged buildings because of the crowding and the cold. She had the children so she stayed put.
“But the others returned in a panic at 7am after another aftershock came and they feared more buildings would collapse.
“They have very little food although some is starting to get through - it is not enough. Above all they are cold, bitterly cold. It is - 3 during the day and -12 at night. They need blankets/baby food/ baby nappies urgently.”
His brother Musa, a bus driver in Gaziantep, has been sleeping in a bus since the quake happened. It has been snowing but he feels safer there than in damaged buildings.
Erol added that another Fair City friend, Perth-based mobile barber Ali Sizgen, has relatives also made homeless by the disaster.
If people want to help, Erol asks them to bring items like new kids’ bodywarmers, new underwear, Calpol medicine, nappies and baby wipes to his takeaway shop, Ayasofya Turkish Grill at 56 Scott Street, Perth.
he mentioned that aid agencies can’t clean used items and many pre-owned clothes are being rejected for hygiene reasons.
Agency representatives are coming regularly to Perth to collect and get aid to the survivors .
Linda El-Miligy, centre manager at EsolPerth - where she gives English language lessons - has also started a blanket collection. The donation drop-off is at Second Floor, Drummond House, 6 Scott Street, Perth and is open until 7pm.
Following the devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey, Perth-based DJ and entertainer Bruce Entertainment has organised a fundraising kids disco afternoon, with all proceeds going towards the British Red Cross earthquake aid appeal.
The fun event for families at Perth Civil Service Club on Saturday, February 18 from 1pm-4pm will have popcorn, candyfloss, party games and prizes . Entry is £2.50 per child with tickets available from ‘The Civvy’.
In Dunkeld, chef Orkun Cevik has begun a collection jar at his Craft Diner food and drink stop at the station. In just three days, he had collected over £600 in change having decided to put all proceeds from hot drinks for the next 30 days directly to Turkish aid charities.
Orkun, who is from Turkey, said: "My heart aches . I’m so so much in pain . British TV’s doesn’t show exactly what’s going on."
