A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday, killing more than 3,400 people and injuring thousands more as it toppled thousands of buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble.Boston resident Tugce Kasikci grew up in Turkey and said her parents and many of her friends still live there."It was devastating and is still devastating," Kasikci said. "Every news that comes in is just horrible."Residents jolted out of sleep by the pre-dawn quake rushed outside in the rain and snow to escape falling debris, while those who were trapped cried for help. Throughout the day, major aftershocks rattled the region, including a jolt nearly as strong as the initial quake. After night fell, workers were still sawing away slabs and pulling out bodies as desperate families waited for news on trapped loved ones."How would you rebuild Greater Boston? This basically has the same effect on that," Kasikci said."Turkey needs help, now," said Yesim Otsuz, co-owner of Dolma Mediterranean Cuisine in Brookline.The quake, which was centered on Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, sent residents of Damascus and Beirut rushing into the street and was felt as far away as Cairo."I called my parents right away and they basically already woke up, because it really shook Ankara, as well," Kasikci said.Tens of thousands who were left homeless in Turkey and Syria faced a night in the cold. In Turkey’s Gaziantep, a provincial capital about 20 miles from the epicenter, people took refuge in shopping malls, stadiums and community centers. Mosques around the region were opened to provide shelter.The Turkish Consulate in Boston is collecting donations from cash to winter coats and diapers. Head to the consulate's Facebook page if you are interested in donating.The Bridge to Turkey Fund has set up an earthquake relief fund. Click here to make a donation to that fund.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.