Turkey’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Efforts Continue Unabated
Speaking at the Earthquake Houses Lottery and Key Handover Ceremony held in Gaziantep, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized Turkey’s spirit of unity and solidarity and said, “We will not stop or rest until the last beneficiary citizen is settled in his home. We will overcome this challenge hand in hand and heart to heart. We see that Turkey is rapidly healing the wounds of the disaster of the century by exhibiting the unity of the century.”
Stating that they could not hold the ceremony in İslahiye due to unfavorable weather conditions in the ceremony he attended via live connection, Erdoğan stated that they will make up for this failure at the first opportunity. Wishing good luck to the City Hospital, President Erdoğan stated that they accelerated their work after the earthquake and that they were happy to deliver the disaster houses, the foundation of which was laid last year, to their rightful owners.
Emphasizing that they did their best not to let the election agenda get in the way of the earthquake agenda, Erdoğan stated that they shared the pain of the earthquake victims and that they felt this pain with the freshness of the first day, even though a year has passed. Expressing that they commemorate the citizens who lost their lives in Gaziantep and its districts with mercy, Erdoğan stated that they are working uninterruptedly for the reconstruction and reconstruction of the earthquake zone.
Reminding the number of buildings destroyed in the earthquake, President Erdoğan said, “We have removed all of the rubble of 6 thousand 114 buildings that were destroyed and will be demolished urgently. The debris removal process of 11 thousand 554 of the 14 thousand 319 buildings with heavy damage has also been completed. We transferred a total of 4.8 billion liras to Gaziantep with rental assistance and other support payments.” Stating that the number of tents set up and distributed in Gaziantep is 54 thousand 554, Erdoğan explained that 26 thousand people are staying in 8 thousand 660 containers at 20 different points in the city, while the number of containers set up in rural areas is 10 thousand 674 and 32 thousand 454 people are sheltering in these areas.
Sharing the number of houses, workplaces and stables in Gaziantep, Erdoğan stated that they have drawn lots for 10 thousand 698 houses with today’s ceremony. Stating that the construction of approximately 14 thousand houses continues rapidly, Erdoğan said that they will deliver these houses to the rightful owners one by one.
President Erdoğan said, “With today’s ceremony, we are drawing lots for 10 thousand 698 houses, 10 thousand 90 of which are in provincial and district centers and 608 in rural areas. Wishing all the citizens who have joined their homes that their new homes will be auspicious, abundant and peaceful, President Erdoğan gave information about the construction works in the city as well as the container and housing projects in rural areas. “The construction of approximately 14 thousand houses in Gaziantep continues rapidly. We will complete them as promised and deliver them to my brothers and sisters who are entitled to them one by one,” Erdoğan said, emphasizing that the process will not stop until the last entitled citizen settles in their homes.
In his speech, Erdogan stated that Turkey, in unity and solidarity, exhibited the unity of the century and quickly healed the wounds of the disaster. Stating that some Western countries, which struggled with disasters such as forest fires and floods last year, are still struggling with these problems, Erdoğan said that Turkey has overcome the most difficult moment and left this disaster behind. Erdogan said that with the patience, fortitude, dignity, diligence and close solidarity of the nation, they have come a long way in just one year.
President Erdoğan stated that they have successfully overcome many critical thresholds, starting from the search and rescue activities carried out immediately after the earthquake, to meeting the shelter needs, removing the rubble and planning new settlements. Stating that they never gave in to frustration in the face of this disaster, which cost the economy 104 billion dollars, Erdoğan said that they did not allow the reconstruction of the earthquake zone and other investments to be disrupted.
In his speech, Erdoğan also stated that they provided 56 billion liras of grant support to local governments for infrastructure projects and said, “We will work with great effort and devotion in every field from infrastructure to superstructure, from housing to village houses, from workplaces to social facilities, and we will revive the disaster area as soon as possible.”
