Turkey has begun work to rebuild homes following this month’s devastating earthquakes, a government official said on Friday, because the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 50,000.
Greater than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged within the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed tens of 1000’s in Turkey and neighboring Syria.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced the death toll in Turkey attributable to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night.
With Syria’s latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll within the two countries rose to above 50,000.
Facing an election inside months, President Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to rebuild homes inside a 12 months, although experts have said the authorities should put safety before speed. Some buildings that were meant to resist tremors crumbled in the newest earthquakes.
“For several projects, tenders and contracts have been done. The method is moving very fast,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding there could be no compromise on safety.
Authorities say tents have been dispatched for the various who’re homeless, but people have reported trouble accessing them.
“I actually have eight children. We live in a tent. There may be water on top (of the tent) and the bottom is damp. We’re asking for more tents they usually don’t give them to us,” Melek, 67, who was waiting in a line to gather aid outside a highschool within the town of Hassa.
The college was getting used as an aid distribution center by a gaggle of volunteers called Interrail Turkey. One volunteer, Sumeyye Karabocek, said the shortage of tents remained the most important problem.
HALF A MILLION NEW HOMES NEEDED
Erdogan’s government has endured a wave of criticism over each its response to the devastation and what many Turks say were years of non-enforcement of construction quality control.
The Turkish government’s initial plan now could be to construct 200,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses at a price of not less than $15 billion, he said. U.S. bank JPMorgan had estimated rebuilding houses and infrastructure will cost $25 billion.
The UNDP said it estimated that the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, with 500,000 recent homes needed.
It said it had requested $113.5 million from the $1 billion in funds appealed for by the United Nations last week, adding that it could focus this money on clearing away mountains of rubble.
The UNDP estimates that the disaster had produced between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble, compared with 13 million tons of rubble after the earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.
Turkey also issued recent regulations under which firms and charities can construct homes and workplaces to donate to the urbanization ministry for people in need.
Many survivors have left the region of southern Turkey that was hit by the quake or have been settled in tents, container homes and other government-sponsored accommodations.
In Antakya, Saeed Sleiman Ertoglu, 56, loaded up what remained of his stock from his waterpipe shop that was not damaged.
“The glassware was very beautiful, greater than usual, but then we had this (earthquake), and all of it got ruined,” he said, after his home and shop survived the primary tremors but not the later one. He estimated that just 5% of his merchandise survived.
“What can we do?,” he said. “That is an act of God, and God’s will at all times bears gifts.”
