Rescue workers in Turkey will get additional help from the United States, which will send 2,100 Marines aboard three Navy ships    ALSO: Hopes fade, frustration grows in Turkey after deadly quake Rescue team ready to roll when disaster strikes VIDEO The night after the quake, the search for survivors continued, while people were afraid to go back into their homes. CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports. (August 18) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Marina Kamimura reports on the lessons learned in Japan following the Kobe earthquake in 1995. Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Andrea Koppel reports on the aid the U.S. is providing to Turkey Windows Media 28K 80K INTERACTIVE: Chronology of major earthquakes over the last 20 years  GALLERIES: The story of a rescue Scenes of hope... and destruction  MESSAGE BOARD: Turkey Quake RELATED AUDIO Click here to listen to reactions on the earthquake in Turkey

August 19, 1999
Web posted at: 4:54 a.m. EDT (0854 GMT)

In this story: Clinton: 'Do whatever we can' Americans reported missing in Turkey U.S. search and rescue teams Not too late RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three U.S. warships carrying 2,100 Marines will begin their journey to Turkey on Thursday to assist in the aftermath of the massive earthquake there.

The ships carrying the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will leave Spain and head for "the vicinity of Istanbul" to respond to requests from the government of Turkey, a Navy spokeswoman said.

The USS Kearsarge, USS Gunston Hall and USS Ponce will arrive near the coast of Turkey as soon as Saturday, the Navy said.

The three-ship Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) only recently left Kosovo, where the forces were providing security and humanitarian assistance following the air war against Yugoslavia.

In addition to the manpower, the ships will carry 22 helicopters, eight doctors, 88 medical corpsmen, 631 beds and five X-ray rooms.

The Navy is also sending a 20-person Crisis Response Team and a three-person medical assessment team to Istanbul to offer whatever help they can provide.

Clinton: 'Do whatever we can'

President Clinton on Wednesday personally expressed his condolences to Turkish President Suleyman Demirel on the devastating earthquake, which struck Tuesday.

In a 10 minute phone call, Clinton outlined U.S. aid being dispatched to Turkey and offered to "do whatever we can" to help rescue and recovery efforts, White House officials said.

Demirel, the officials said, was "very appreciative" of the help the U.S. has offered. Demirel told Clinton that the U.S. assistance "shows what good friends our two countries are."

Americans reported among the missing

The U.S. consulate in Istanbul has dispatched an official to Izmit, Turkey, to search for U.S. citizens reported missing after the quake, authorities told CNN.

The official will search on behalf of family members of U.S. citizens in Turkey who have been unable to contact their loved ones since the quake, said a State Department official who asked not to be named.

The number of U.S. citizens reported missing is unclear, according to Defense Department and State Department officials who said that the disruption in communication and transportation may be responsible for the loss of contact.

Four U.S. citizens working in Turkey for the U.S. Sea Systems Command were reported missing early Wednesday along with the spouse of one of the four workers.

Two of those people have since been located and are safe, but others who have failed to make contact with family members in the United States are now feared missing, and officials could not rule out there may be U.S. casualties.

U.S. search and rescue teams

A top U.S. search and rescue team has been sent to Turkey to help look for survivors.

About 70 people -- and five dogs -- from the Virginia-based Fairfax Urban Search and Rescue Team left Tuesday from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware aboard an Air Force C-5 cargo plane. The dogs are trained to sniff out survivors.

A separate, eight-member group from Dade County, Florida, is joining the Virginia team.

Not too late

The rescuers were expected to arrive well within the 72-hour period within which victims caught in earthquake rubble normally can be saved if they survive the initial jolt.

"There is a lot of possibility that we can make live rescues in Turkey when we get there," Fairfax Fire Chief Ed Stinette told CNN on Tuesday as the group prepared to leave.

Lt. Mark Stone, a spokesman for the unit, told CNN there are "documented cases of people still surviving after a number of days, into a week and beyond (after being trapped under a collapsed building)."

"It all depends on where they are trapped and our access to them."

The U.S. team, which is taking fire trucks and other equipment, plans to establish a base in Izmit, near the epicenter of the quake, which the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center described as one of the most powerful recorded in the 20th century.

U.S. scientists initially reported the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8, but acknowledged later that its intensity might be downgraded as additional measurements are taken into account.

The Virginia team helps mostly in rescuing people after the collapse of concrete structures.

It has taken part in several rescue efforts in recent years after: