On Friday, as part of his tour to Turkey’s ten earthquake-affected areas, President Recep Tayyip Erdoan stopped in the eastern province of Adyaman. The most recent death toll from the earthquake on Monday was 19,388 according to Erdoan, who also reported that 77,711 people were injured. The Turkish leader also unveiled a number of measures to allay the victims’ fears about money, such as a one-year rent payment for those who lost their homes and free flights on the nation’s primary airline for both those leaving and wishing to travel to the earthquake-stricken districts.
During his travels to Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, and Kilis, Erdoan claimed that the destruction was “substantial” in 10 provinces. The president sent his sympathies to the Adyaman earthquake victims’ families. He described the disaster’s victims as “martyrs,” saying that it was “one of the biggest calamities in our history.”
He reaffirmed his prior comments regarding the rebuilding efforts and stated that new homes would be built within a year.
In the immediate wake of the earthquake, according to Erdoan, the state mobilised all available resources for search and rescue operations as well as humanitarian aid, “but sadly, we had a very difficult challenge as the earthquake’s fallout covered an area of 500 square kilometres.”
Another obstacle “appeared as a very hard winter in years,” he said. “However, in spite of everything, our nation and I focused our entire effort on the earthquake zone. The affected areas are receiving assistance from all public resources across all provinces. We issued a state of emergency and designated the area as a disaster zone, the official said. Erdoan bemoaned the theft of some supermarkets after the accident and claimed that declaring a state of emergency will enable the government to stop such crimes more effectively. ”
Although we had issues, the state still used all available resources to help its inhabitants, he said.
The president announced that international search and rescue teams had arrived and more were on their way, and that 94 nations had also offered and sent assistance. “However, it is a reality that the pace of the catastrophe response is still not what is desired. In order to assist earthquake victims, our ministries, municipalities, public agencies, nongovernmental groups, and friends from around the world made every attempt “Added he.
He reiterated his remarks about rebuilding collapsed buildings within a year and providing TL 10,000 ($530) in cash relief to each household in the region that was impacted by the earthquake. He stated that homes would shortly receive extra TL 15,000. He added, “We will pay their rent for one year, whether here in Adyaman or in other cities where they will choose to live, if our citizens do not desire to live in tents until their new homes are built.
He further stated that he had given the go-ahead for the building to begin right away to all pertinent parties, including the nation’s Housing Development Administration (TOKI). He pointed to the evacuation of victims to Antalya and other towns, where the weather is milder and lodging capacity is larger, and said they were also setting up accommodations for survivors in hotels.
Turkish Airlines (THY) is providing complimentary flights to and from the 10 provinces for both those leaving and entering Turkey, Erdoan reaffirmed. He claimed that more than 76,000 people had already been taken out of the provinces affected by the earthquake. The president stated that there was no “issue” with meeting basic necessities and invited people to provide aid in coordination with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and other pertinent agencies.
