Chicago Area Group Raises Cash For Italy Earthquake Relief

Rescue crews in Italy are working around the clock trying to find any survivors buried in the rubble after a 6.2 earthquake struck in the middle of the night Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a Chicago group  started a fund to help the victims.

Lissa Druss Christman, of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, says the area is hard to get to, so the best thing to do is raise money. Supplies like medical equipment and medicine are in dire need as the death toll climbs to 159.

"The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans has initiated relief efforts for the devastating earthquake in Italy," the group said in a statement. "A fund has been established to help those in and around Amatrice, the epicenter of the earthquake."

Donations can be made online at www.jccia.com.

Amatrice was one of three towns reduced to rubble and dust by a quake felt a hundred miles away.

Guy Thomas of the Italian Red Cross described the chaos to left in the wake of the earthquake to NBC News.

"It's terrible. It's like a bomb down and there's nothing there anymore," he said.

Contact Us