A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria Monday, causing devastation for hundreds of miles and killing thousands, with the death toll still rising. In response, organizations are working to help thousands of miles away in Seattle. Rita Zawaideh has been making phone calls nonstop as she's tried to contact her friends and family in the area. “There are a lot of them that I’m trying to reach but phone lines are down so you can’t reach through to them,” said Zawaideh. Zawaideh says her cousin, Hiyam, is staying in a car like many others. “Everyone ran out of their houses, and they don’t have the winter clothing to wear, the shoes and they’re all afraid to go back in with the aftershocks,” said Zawaideh. “We can still do something, we believe. We started thinking of those and we started to coordinate,” said Tufan Erdinc. Erdinc, the president of the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington (TACAWA), has family in Turkey. His organization is working with the Turkish Consulate to get help to the region. “We are going to collect as much as we can and we are going to send it via embassy,” said Erdinc. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle-organizations-send-aid-turkey-syria-earthquake-donations/281-0c1b9a21-51e0-41be-9bd3-dcfd3f46b672