LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After Monday's catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria and killing at least 22,000 people, a Louisville-based nonprofit decided to send help.
WaterStep has teamed up with GE and the Ahiska Turk Community in Louisville to send 40 50-pound bags of salt and 40 BleachMakers, a portable device that uses water, salt and a 12vDC power source to produce a strong disinfectant that can be used for cleaning, cooking, bathing and in hospitals and clinics.
Waterstep, a Louisville non-profit, is sending 40 BleachMakers to help the survivors of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that stuck Turkey and Syria last week. (Photo by Grace Hayba)
Officials said the earthquake was so devastating that it could disrupt the water systems in Turkey for years to come.
On Friday, bags of salt and BleachMakers were loaded onto trucks, traveling first to Chicago. From there, the supplies will make their way to Turkey, courtesy of Turkish Airlines. The Turkish government will then distribute the supplies to those in need.
"It's really helpful to clean up the hospitals because one of the closest hospitals in that area is also damaged," said Ruslan Abbasov, president of the Ahiska Turks Community Center of Kentucky. "They took all the patients because it's not safe to be in that hospital. So now we're short on hospitals and they're full, so something like that is going to be really helpful."
WaterStep, which has supplied more than 7.8 million people worldwide with safe water since its founding in 1995, is asking for additional help for Turkey from the community. To donate, click here.
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