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SPITAK EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS STILL WAITING FOR HELP 25 YEARS ON
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Dec 6 2013
December 7 marks the 25th anniversary of the Spitak earthquake in
Armenia where some 24,000 people died. A quarter of a century later,
some 4,500 families are still living in makeshift shelters, waiting
for help.
It all happened on a Wednesday. At 11:41 on the morning of December 7,
1988, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the then
Soviet Republic of Armenia. The effects were devastating.
"It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen in my life," says
eyewitness Mania Grigoryan, who still lives in the area today. "There
was a river of blood in the street. I remember how they put the bodies
of the children in the streets. I cried so much. It's been 25 years
but I remember it like it was yesterday."
Grigoryan is used to hardship. At 93 she's survived World War Two,
conflict against Azerbaijan in the 1990s and several earthquakes. Ever
since the 1988 Spitak quake she's been forced to live in a tin
container that barely resembles a house.
"My life is hard," she says. "You can't really call it life. There
is no shower here, the toilet is out of order, there is no heat. How
is it possible to live here?"
Tough winters
The city of Gyumri still has infrastructure problems today, as a
result of the earthquake in 1988
Grigoryan says the winters are the worst. That's when the average
temperature is at minus 10 degrees Celsius and she only has a small
gas portable stove to warm herself up. All the warmth in the house
comes from its small, blue flame.
Grigoryan's tin house stands in one of the many shanty districts
scattered across the Armenian city of Gyumri, one of the cities
worst affected by the earthquake back in 1988. The muddy streets
are filled with rubbish. During the Soviet Union, the city was an
important industrial town, especially for textile production. Now it
is capital of the poorest region in Armenia.
Gayane Yenogian lives at the other end of the city. She was 22 years
old when the quake struck and was working in a local factory that day.
The building collapsed and she was lucky to get out in time, she says.
Yenogian also lives in a container, sometimes called a domik. In her
house, the windows are made of cheap plastic rather than glass.
"In the morning it's freezing," she says. "This is the main reason
for my health problems. My clothes are dirty because I need to carry
water to wash them and I don't have money to buy detergent."
Mountains of coffins: the death toll from the Spitak earthquake
was 24,000
Yenogian's mother died in 2001. She believes that it was partly because
of the poor living conditions in the domik that she passed away.
Depleted public money
Yenogian and Gregoryan are just two of many residents in Gyumri who
are still waiting for a public apartment, promised to them after
they lost their houses in the quake. The Soviet Union built 4000
apartments before its collapse in 1991, and 20,000 more have been
built over the last 22 years. But it's still not enough.
"The main infrastructure like electricity, water, schools and roads
were destroyed," says Albert Margaryan, the regional head of Urban
Development in the Shirak province, of which Gyumri is the capital.
"We just did not have the financial conditions to go faster," he says.
According to Margaryan, 3500 of those families still living in
temporary accommodation are not eligible to get an apartment, either
because they came from the villages to look for a job in the city,
or because they already had an apartment and sold it.
The latter applies to Sveta Gabryelian. The mother of two sold her
apartment because she needed the money to pay for eye surgery.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a memorial for victims of
the Spitak earthquake
Regional official Albert Margaryan says that some apartments will
still be built and given to people at lower prices and in accordance
with special conditions. But, until that happens there will still be
people dying in Armenia's sub-zero winters, say local residents.
"When it's very cold some people just go to sleep," Sveta Gabryelian
explains. "In the morning, they are found frozen to death."
DW.DE
http://www.dw.de/spitak-earthquake-victims-still-waiting-for-help-25-years-on/a-17272621
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Dec 6 2013
December 7 marks the 25th anniversary of the Spitak earthquake in
Armenia where some 24,000 people died. A quarter of a century later,
some 4,500 families are still living in makeshift shelters, waiting
for help.
It all happened on a Wednesday. At 11:41 on the morning of December 7,
1988, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of the then
Soviet Republic of Armenia. The effects were devastating.
"It was the most horrible thing I have ever seen in my life," says
eyewitness Mania Grigoryan, who still lives in the area today. "There
was a river of blood in the street. I remember how they put the bodies
of the children in the streets. I cried so much. It's been 25 years
but I remember it like it was yesterday."
Grigoryan is used to hardship. At 93 she's survived World War Two,
conflict against Azerbaijan in the 1990s and several earthquakes. Ever
since the 1988 Spitak quake she's been forced to live in a tin
container that barely resembles a house.
"My life is hard," she says. "You can't really call it life. There
is no shower here, the toilet is out of order, there is no heat. How
is it possible to live here?"
Tough winters
The city of Gyumri still has infrastructure problems today, as a
result of the earthquake in 1988
Grigoryan says the winters are the worst. That's when the average
temperature is at minus 10 degrees Celsius and she only has a small
gas portable stove to warm herself up. All the warmth in the house
comes from its small, blue flame.
Grigoryan's tin house stands in one of the many shanty districts
scattered across the Armenian city of Gyumri, one of the cities
worst affected by the earthquake back in 1988. The muddy streets
are filled with rubbish. During the Soviet Union, the city was an
important industrial town, especially for textile production. Now it
is capital of the poorest region in Armenia.
Gayane Yenogian lives at the other end of the city. She was 22 years
old when the quake struck and was working in a local factory that day.
The building collapsed and she was lucky to get out in time, she says.
Yenogian also lives in a container, sometimes called a domik. In her
house, the windows are made of cheap plastic rather than glass.
"In the morning it's freezing," she says. "This is the main reason
for my health problems. My clothes are dirty because I need to carry
water to wash them and I don't have money to buy detergent."
Mountains of coffins: the death toll from the Spitak earthquake
was 24,000
Yenogian's mother died in 2001. She believes that it was partly because
of the poor living conditions in the domik that she passed away.
Depleted public money
Yenogian and Gregoryan are just two of many residents in Gyumri who
are still waiting for a public apartment, promised to them after
they lost their houses in the quake. The Soviet Union built 4000
apartments before its collapse in 1991, and 20,000 more have been
built over the last 22 years. But it's still not enough.
"The main infrastructure like electricity, water, schools and roads
were destroyed," says Albert Margaryan, the regional head of Urban
Development in the Shirak province, of which Gyumri is the capital.
"We just did not have the financial conditions to go faster," he says.
According to Margaryan, 3500 of those families still living in
temporary accommodation are not eligible to get an apartment, either
because they came from the villages to look for a job in the city,
or because they already had an apartment and sold it.
The latter applies to Sveta Gabryelian. The mother of two sold her
apartment because she needed the money to pay for eye surgery.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a memorial for victims of
the Spitak earthquake
Regional official Albert Margaryan says that some apartments will
still be built and given to people at lower prices and in accordance
with special conditions. But, until that happens there will still be
people dying in Armenia's sub-zero winters, say local residents.
"When it's very cold some people just go to sleep," Sveta Gabryelian
explains. "In the morning, they are found frozen to death."
DW.DE
http://www.dw.de/spitak-earthquake-victims-still-waiting-for-help-25-years-on/a-17272621