'So much loss in one event': Turkish Austinites reel with loss from the earthquakes

Mustafa Balcioglu heard the news that an earthquake hit his home country of Turkey while driving back to Austin from Dallas. He was traveling with a friend and didn't realize the severity of the situation.

A couple of hours later, his wife informed him that the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria had devastated his hometown, ultimately resulting in the deaths of nearly 47,000 people in the two countries and the displacement of millions.

He immediately started messaging his family on WhatsApp.

Luckily, his immediate family, including his parents and siblings, survived. But they lost everything: homes, businesses and cars. Some of his extended family and friends died as a result of the earthquake.

"It's really hard to explain," said Balcioglu, who lives in Round Rock and works as a research scientist. "You have so much loss in one event, that's really heavy to carry."

Balcioglu grew up in the historical city of Antakya, Turkey, the capital of the Hatay Province, and one of the areas hardest hit by the powerful earthquakes that shook southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Feb. 6.

The earthquakes devastated cities throughout the region, with The New York Times reporting that Balcioglu's hometown was "wiped out."

Since the earthquake, he has taken off work to focus on helping his family and prioritize his mental health among the constant bombardment of devastating news.

"I feel like I don't have any hometown to go back to," Balcioglu said. "So Austin is my hometown."

More:Death toll tops 41,000 as desperation grows after earthquake in Turkey, Syria: Updates

'Very difficult to comprehend'

Turkey sits on the East Anatolian and the North Anatolian fault zones, making it one of the most seismically active places in the world.

Since 1970, the region has registered three earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Feb. 6 earthquakes produced intense shaking due to the shallowness where both occurred, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And two weeks after the initial temblors, an 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey on Monday, causing severe shaking and more damage to buildings in Antakya where it was centered.

Balcioglu said it took his family nearly five days after the initial earthquakes to feel comfortable enough to go inside a building and lay down in a bed again because they continued feeling like they were shaking.

The shaking was so intense that it caused the first floor of Balcioglu's brother's three-story home to collapse, killing the tenants who lived on the first floor. Balcioglu's parents were also at his brother's house that day but were on the second floor when the earthquake struck.

He said it was by God's mercy they survived.

"It's just very difficult to comprehend this," Balcioglu said. "I was thinking what will happen if I just step out of my home and ... (all) I have on is my like jacket (and) pants, that's it, nothing else."

'You feel so helpless'

Nearly 6,800 miles away in Austin, local Turkish residents have been organizing donation drives, prayer vigils and any relief efforts that they can.

Kadir Akkus, director of the Raindrop Foundation, a nonprofit that supports Turkish Americans, said his organization established a task force to find out who in their community is from the affected areas and how they can best support them at this time.

"The Turkish community is not a large community here," Akkus said. "But our community is very connected, and everyone in our community is very emotional right now."

While Akkus' family in Turkey remains safe, he said he couldn't sleep for the first few days after the disaster because he worried about his friends in the region.

He said other Turkish Austinites lost everything, including one friend who lost their parents and brothers.

Akkus helped form a prayer vigil with Interfaith Austin, which featured 15 different religious leaders from various faiths, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. On Feb. 13, roughly 80 people attended the vigil at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in far North Austin.

Other Turkish Austinites also have been helping, such as Aylin Taylan and her group, the Austin Turkish American Association, a social group she started on Facebook back in 2007, which offers education on Turkish culture to children and they're looking to become a nonprofit.

Taylan's organization put together a donation drive, which it drove to the Turkish Consulate in Houston.

"The donation drive was a little bit helpful," Taylan said. "At least we felt like we're doing something to help. Otherwise, you feel so helpless, being so far away and only watching the news."

Deadly earthquakes hit Turkey before:Why there? Could a similar quake strike the US?

'The entire city is demolished'

After checking in with his immediate family, Balcioglu messaged a good friend he grew up with and whose family even supported Balcioglu when he first came to Austin in 2010 to attend the University of Texas.

A few days passed and he didn't hear back, but he saw that his friend had seen the messages, so he reached out again. His friend responded and said they had just finished burying his parents.

"I felt the pain as if I learned my parents" just died," Balcioglu said.

Balcioglu said his brother, who lost everything, was able to get help and is in the process of moving to a different city in Turkey to start a new life with a new job. Another of his brothers is also moving to a different city, while one of his sisters is moving to another city.

However, many others aren't as lucky, and Balcioglu said he hopes people understand the severity of this earthquake.

"The entire city is demolished," Balcioglu said. "They're looking for shelter. They don't have jobs. … So we need more support in the long run."

100 years of earthquakes: Turkey, Syria disaster could be among this century's worst

How to help earthquake victims

If you would like to donate through the Raindrop Foundation, visit raindropctx.org. The organization works with reputable organizations to ensure the money gets to victims.

Correction: This story originally incorrectly stated that Mustafa Balcioglu came to Austin to attend UT in the 90s. He came in 2010.

More ways to help:Relief efforts ongoing after deadliest earthquake in years

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Turkish Austinites come together in wake of devastating earthquake