‘It’s terrible’: Kelowna man reacts to deadly earthquake in his homeland

Onur Guler was shocked to learn about the deadly earthquake in Turkey.

“We couldn’t believe it,” Guler told Global News.

Guler was born in Turkey but has lived in Canada for 14 years.

He said he found out about the 7.8-magnitude quake on social media.

“We just found out on our social media accounts, and people were asking for help,” he said. “It was midnight in Turkey.”

The earthquake hit the southeastern part of the country.

Guler said fortunately his family lives in western Turkey and about 2,000 kilometres away from the destruction.

“I spoke to them last night so they’re OK,” Guler said.

However, he also knows people that were directly impacted.

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“We have family friends living in that area. We tried to contact them – they are OK but they lost their buildings. The buildings are destroyed,” Guler said.

Guler owns the Gateway International English Language School in downtown Kelowna.

There are two teachers who work there who are also originally from Turkey. They told Global News through Guler, they were too upset to speak to media.

While everyone they know back home is alive, the devastation and rising death toll were too overwhelming to talk about.

At last word, the death toll was nearing 4,000 but is expected to rise dramatically.

Guler is hoping Canadians, including Okanagan residents, step up to help support the shattered country.

“The donations … are going to food, medical stuff, and also the people who need some help.”