MINNEAPOLIS — Harrowing images of a building crumbling after a powerful earthquake are a reality for many people in Turkey and Syria.
Officials say at least 3,600 people are dead and thousands more are injured in what was measured as a 7.8-magnitude quake.
In the wake of the disaster, at least 77 aftershocks have measured 4.0 or greater in Turkey. In Syria, survivors had to take to the streets in the freezing cold for safety.
"Even some buildings that haven't collapsed during the earthquake were starting to collapse during the days because of the damages that have occurred," Questscope Executive Director Roy Moussalli said via video call.
Questscope is Minnesota-based Alight's affiliate. Alight offers humanitarian aid during times of crisis.
Moussalli is leading aid efforts in Syria from Damascus, while his direct outreach team is in Aleppo. He said Aleppo was the hardest hit on the Syrian side.
Right now, Moussalli said it's too difficult to guess how many people have been killed or displaced.
"The hospitals in Aleppo are full because of the injuries that happened during the earthquake, so there's a big need for medical supplies and for medicine, and hospitals are overcrowded," Moussali said.
The need for shelter is also crucial because Moussalli said they've been dealing with snow, freezing rain and below-freezing temperatures at night.
Additionally, they've already been dealing with shortages due to war and sanctions.
"Even before the earthquake, there was a shortage of fuel because of the sanctions," Moussalli said. "There's no power, except you get one hour every 10 hours of power, so those kinds of situations and shortages were happening because of the war situation, sanctions. So you don't have a surplus to be able to play with."
For now, they're focused on creating collective shelters and finding essentials.
"This is what we need: We have blankets, mattresses, food, hygiene kits, dignity kits for the women and some basic medicine," he said. "That kind of rapid response, this is what we're trying to come up with to fill all the gaps."
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