On behalf of the Turkish-American community in Orange County, CA, OCTAA expresses its sorrow over the major loss of life during the recent magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit the Van region of Turkey on October 23, 2011. According to Bloomberg, while the official death toll has climbed to 279, as many as 1,000 people are feared dead, say the officials. At least 2,262 buildings collapsed in the quake, which was the most severe since a 1999 quake east of Istanbul that took 17,000 lives.
OCTAA once more extends its condolences to families of the earthquake victims. OCTAA volunteers are working together with the parent organization, ATA-SC, to set up a support fund for the victims of the natural disaster.