Watching earthquake devastation from afar, Winnipeggers with loved ones in Syria, Turkey lean on each other

Maysoun Darweesh says she's been feeling helpless as she watches devastation unfold following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey Monday. 

The death toll has now reached more than 20,000, with thousands more injured. The number of people unaccounted for remains unknown. 

Darweesh, who lives in Winnipeg, said her mother and brother in Syria managed to get to safety. But they saw destruction hit all around them. 

"Everything was shaking," said Darweesh. "They saw the buildings collapsing, screaming, people really, like, in agony and they didn't know what to do. They said it was a horrible shock."

Darweesh said while her family is OK, she has friends who didn't make it. She describes the days since the quake hit as a nightmare, and there's a feeling of guilt, she said, that she is safe while others are suffering. 

"I'm telling you each person within my community here has the same feeling," said Darweesh.

"We don't know, like, how to help, we feel very helpless, we feel very, like, OK … what can we, you know, do in order to change the situation, in order to assist people who lost their loved ones." 

For Darweesh, that has meant raising awareness, donating money to well-established aid organizations and sending money directly to her brother and mother. 

She said she's been hearing aid still isn't getting to some of the affected regions. 

The Manitoba Islamic Association has been doing what they can to get aid to people affected in Syria and Turkey. 

The association's treasurer, Ruheen Aziz, said they're working with Islamic Relief Canada to raise money for relief efforts and have launched a fundraiser online and through their social media. 

"The Syrian community, the community from Turkey, they're part of our community, part of our organization, part of the people that come to the mosque," said Aziz.

Aziz said they'll also be collecting money for a fundraiser at the Winnipeg Grand Mosque on Waverley Street following afternoon prayers Friday afternoon. 

While finding ways to help get aid to those affected in Syria and Turkey is important, showing support for people here is also critical during a disaster like this, said Aziz.