BATON ROUGE, La. — The United Cajun Navy is sending much-needed supplies to Turkey following deadly earthquakes and is asking for donations.
More than 35,000 people have died after magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes hit nine hours apart in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, 2023. On Monday, February 20, 2023, another deadly earthquake hit Turkey and Syria leaving more than 200 injured.
The United Cajun Navy sent a truck full of supplies from their Baton Rouge warehouse to the Turkey embassy in Houston Monday.
Plenty of donated items are on their way to Turkey, but the need is still there. The organization is specifically asking for more children’s items, such as diapers and medicine, generators, blankets, portable beds, portable restrooms and shipping containers for temporary housing.
A supply drive was held in Baton Rouge Friday, in an effort to get some of the urgently-needed items. Some of the people who were over the drive had family in Turkey when the quakes hit.
The United Cajun Navy is sorting through the supplies they are sending to make it easier for those in need. United Cajun Navy Todd Terrell feels it is a disaster within a disaster when victims have to sort through donated items following a major destructive event.
“When you just send stuff, it’s hard for them to sort it,” Terrell said. “They don’t have help to sort through clothes, so we do that on our side. When we send, we have it all organized"
The organization is also asking for monetary donations as they deal with the challenge of transportation.
Items being sent to turkey have to first be driven to Houston, taken to an airport, and then flown to Turkey. The transportation process can be one of the organization's biggest expenses when helping those in need.
Those wanting to make a monetary donation can go to the organization's website, www.cajunnavy.org, click on the donate tab, and dedicate the donation to "Turkey relief."
The organization also has an Amazon wish list up that will allow for direct shipment to Turkey.
