“We will not rest until we revive all our quake-hit cities”
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Gaziantep-Kilis post-disaster houses, President Erdoğan said: “We will not rest until we revive all our quake-hit cities, including their villages and districts.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony of Gaziantep-Kilis post-disaster houses.
Congratulating the citizens’ holy month of Ramadan, President Erdoğan said: “This year, we welcomed the month of Ramadan with the sadness of the February 6 earthquakes, which caused severe destruction and loss of life in many districts of our 11 provinces, including Nurdağı. I once again wish Allah’s mercy upon more than 50 thousand people we lost in these earthquakes, the disaster of the century, and extend my condolences to their relatives and our nation.”
Underlining that the disaster affected not only its immediate victims, but also the entire Türkiye with its 81 provinces and 85 million citizens, President Erdoğan said: “We also received sincere messages of sympathy and condolences from many parts of the world. I came to Gaziantep three days after the earthquake and to Nurdağı two weeks later. Our visits continued afterwards. Today, we are here once again, both to lay the foundation of our permanent houses and to have a chat with you. Inshallah, we will not rest until we revive all our quake-hit cities, including their villages and districts.”
“WHEELS HAVE STARTED TO TURN IN FACTORIES”
Noting that the removal of the debris, the formation of temporary shelter areas and the construction of permanent residences ensued the initial need for search and rescue efforts and emergency assistance, President Erdoğan said, “n addition to AFAD and other institutions, hundreds of municipalities, including Gaziantep Metropolitan, Şahinbey and Şehitkâmil district municipalities, provided very nice services in the earthquake zone. I would like to take this occasion to thank all our mayors and their teams once again.”
“We have reached an important stage in all of our intensive efforts after about 1.5 months. We have removed almost half of the debris. We are expanding temporary shelter areas with containers, prefabricated buildings, tents, using all available means. We are building these areas in an understanding of establishing a neighborhood with its infrastructure, units, parks and green areas to meet social needs,” President Erdoğan said.
Emphasizing that citizens who went to other cities in Turkey in the first weeks are slowly returning to their homes, President Erdoğan said: “Undamaged and slightly damaged houses have started to be inhabited, workplaces have started to open, and the wheels have started to turn in factories.”
