EMU Today

YPSILANTI – The Turkey-Syria earthquake reportedly took the lives of more than 20,000 people, left countless people injured, and caused billions in property damage. As a result, four EMU Turkish professors are partnering with the Turkish-American Cultural Association of Michigan (TACAM) to aid in what is considered one of the strongest earthquakes in Turkish history.

In response to the catastrophic earthquakes, the Turkish American community launched a relief campaign to help with the urgent needs during the search and rescue efforts and provide humanitarian assistance to the survivors. The campaign calls for monetary donations to TACAM or a select number of charitable organizations across the country. The campaign also allows people to donate needed items such as winter clothing, tents and blankets.

Mehmet Yaya, EMU economics professor and department head in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the TACAM board president. He said his family is safe from harm. Still, he’s shocked that such a disaster would happen in his native country. 

 “I was shocked,” said Yaya. “I heard the news in the early hours of Monday morning. My heart sank after learning the magnitude of the earthquake and the area it impacted. In the following hours, seeing another earthquake very close to the initial one, I knew, made things extremely difficult for survivors and any search and rescue efforts in the area.”

Professors Yaya, Elif Persinger, Armagan Korkmaz, and Fatos Kocer are also TACAM board members and have been actively involved in the relief efforts. EMU professors and TACAM encourage the community to consider donating in solidarity to the following relief efforts: 

• Tacam.org
• Bridgetoturkiye.org
• tpfund.org
• doctorswithoutborders.org
• unicefusa.org

The community can drop off new and unused winter clothing and medical supplies such as a defibrillator, portable ultrasound device, blood glucose meter and strips and surgical sets to the TACAM Cultural Center, located at 28847 Beck Rd. in Wixom, between 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Feb. 10 - 12. Please check the website for additional information and future collection dates.

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