Turkish immigrants concerned after earthquake

Many of the Turkish immigrants who live in the New York region were trying Monday to reach relatives and friends in the area affected by the deadly magnitude 7.2 earthquake in eastern Turkey, community leaders said.

But relief efforts were still in the preliminary stages, with the Manhattan-based Turkish Cultural Center starting to collect monetary contributions to donate through the Helping Hands Relief Foundation.

"The Turkish community in the tri-state area is very sad about the earthquake," said Mehmet Kilic, the center's vice president. "Most of the Turkish-American people in the New York area are calling their neighbors and relatives and there's a jam in the telephone systems in Turkey currently, so it's difficult to get information."

According to the latest Census numbers, there are more than 21,000 Turkish immigrants in the metro area that includes New York City, Long Island, parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. More than 10,000 live in New York City and about 2,600 call Long Island home.

"We want to help, but we don't even know how much damage there is yet," said Joff Sahin, a Turkish immigrant who owns the Pita House restaurant in Patchogue. "The Turkish government needs some time to assess the damage."