Naples entrepreneur starts fundraiser for earthquake victims in Turkey

Turkish entrepreneur Onur Haytac calls Naples home, but news of the recent earthquake in Turkey affected him deeply.

While Haytac was in high school in 1999, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey in the middle of the night. He says he lost many friends and teachers to the disaster.

Turkey is vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits where three tectonic plates converge. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated parts of Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, killing at least 45,000 people. Eleven minutes after the initial earthquake, a 6.5 magnitude aftershock hit. Nine hours later, a 7.5 magnitude quake followed. There's been over 125 aftershocks recorded.

Turkey hasn't felt an earthquake this severe in over 20 years, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

When Haytac learned of the recent earthquake, he immediately began planning a fundraiser to help victims.

"I took four or five days to figure out who's a reputable nonprofit organization and is trusted by the people," Haytac said. He ultimately landed on Ahbap, a non-governmental and nonprofit Turkish organization used for philanthropy. Since he started the fundraiser a month ago, Haytac has raised over $47,000. But he says he's not even close to his goal.

"I wanted to raise minimum $100,000 and then I wanted to put in $100,000 myself, so $200,000 total," Haytac said.

Haytac says after Hurricane Ian, the Southwest Florida community can deeply relate to the victims in Turkey.

"A little bit of empathy from people will help a lot," Haytac said. "We will be unstoppable as humanity all together. We will fix any problems."

To find the fundraiser, visit angelink.com and search "Support Turkey's Earthquake Victims."

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples entrepreneur raises money for earthquake victims in Turkey