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Silk Road Reporters
Jan 9 2015
Armenian Earthquake Victims Still Await Housing, 26 Years Later
Published by John C. K. DalyJanuary 9, 2015
When a major earthquake strikes, it can garner a lot of attention in
the days and weeks that follow before the world refocuses on a newer
tragedy.
At 11:41 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1988, a 6.8 Richter scale earthquake struck
the northern part of the then Soviet Republic of Armenia. Within 30
seconds the Spitak earthquake, also called the Leninakan and Gyumri
earthquake destroyed the small city of Spitak, while the nearby cities
of Leninakan, capital of Shirak province (later renamed Gyumri) and
Kirovakan (later renamed Vanadzor) sustained a lot of damage as well.
Major infrastructure including electricity, natural gas lines, roads,
railways, water systems, schools and hospitals were either completely
destroyed or severely damaged. Four minutes later, a 5.8-magnitude
aftershock tremor struck nearby, collapsing buildings that had
survived the first quake, tearing an eight-mile rupture in the ground,
several feet wide in places. In Leninakan, with nearly 300,000
residents, about 80 percent of the buildings were either heavily
damaged or completely destroyed.
According to official figures, 19,000 people were injured and at least
25,000 were killed - according to other sources, there were up to
150,000 injuries and deaths in all and 514,000 people were left
homeless. The earthquake also destroyed about 40 percent of the
Armenian SSR's industrial infrastructure. Gyumri was an important
Soviet industrial town, especially for textile production. In summing
up the regional impact of the earthquake Armenian State Building
Committee official Iuri S. Mkhitarian stated that 342 villages were
damaged and another 58 were destroyed, while 130 factories were
wrecked and 170,000 people were out of work.
Archeologists had concluded that the Gyumri region was the oldest in
Armenia, with excavations in the old part of the city uncovering a
settlement dating back to 3000 B.C. The tremor was history repeating
itself, as in 1926 Gyumri, renamed Leninakan two years earlier in
honor of the founder of the Soviet state who had died two years
before, suffered an earthquake which destroyed many of its significant
buildings, including the Greek church of Saint George.
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Civil Defense, Major-General Nikolai
Dmitrievich Tarakanov, who two years earlier had directed relief
efforts at Chernobyl and was now sent to Armenia to oversee recovery
efforts declared, "Spitak proved to be much more terrible than
Chernobyl."
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who was in New York on his first day
of meetings with Reagan and Bush at the time the earthquake struck,
quickly returned to the Soviet Union once the scale of the disaster
became apparent, and shortly thereafter formally asked for American
and international help, the first Soviet request for U.S. assistance
since World War II. Eventually 113 countries sent substantial amounts
of humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union in the form of rescue
equipment, search teams and medical supplies, and private donations
and assistance from non-governmental organizations also played a
substantial role in the international effort.
Gorbachev subsequently set aside 5 billion rubles (about $8 billion)
in funds for recovery efforts that analysts believed would exceed the
cleanup bill for the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. In 1989 the Soviet
Union issued a 3 ruble coin commemorating the anniversary of the
tragedy.
But regional politics also played a role in impacting relief efforts.
Gorbachev visited the earthquake zone and left the disaster area angry
that locals were repeatedly asking him about freedom for
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians instead of focusing solely on relief
efforts. Relief efforts were slowed by the fact that because of
conflict the Azeris had closed their border with Armenia, which
remains shuttered to this day.
In Gyumri today, according to the Armenian "Depop2Repop" Repopulation
Project, there are 4,300 homeless families living in the same shelters
and makeshift houses they were forced into after the earthquake 26
years ago, with government authorities recognizing only 430 families
as eligible for apartments while, according to official information,
almost half of the population in Gyumri lives in poverty. Since
disaster struck more than two decades ago, Gyumri has lost 150,000
inhabitants, most of them as immigrants to Russia.
Depop2Repop founder and chairman Vahan Kololian declared, "Let's turn
our energies to rebuilding Gyumri and the entire Shirak region," while
Depop2Repop coordinating director Kamo Mailyan noted, "It is our
intention to invite a group of action-oriented Armenian civil leaders
and organizations from the diaspora to compose a Steering Committee to
establish a multi-disciplined approach to rebuilding Gyumri: urban
renewal; attracting industry, with a focus on fabrics, wool, and
textiles; rejuvenating cultural sites; and increasing tourism."
It is a poignant commentary on the priorities of the current Armenian
government that Gyumri's homeless inhabitants a quarter century after
a natural disaster must turn to their more prosperous compatriots in
the global Armenia diaspora to alleviate their plight.
http://www.silkroadreporters.com/2015/01/09/armenian-earthquake-victims-still-await-housing-26-years-later/
Jan 9 2015
Armenian Earthquake Victims Still Await Housing, 26 Years Later
Published by John C. K. DalyJanuary 9, 2015
When a major earthquake strikes, it can garner a lot of attention in
the days and weeks that follow before the world refocuses on a newer
tragedy.
At 11:41 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1988, a 6.8 Richter scale earthquake struck
the northern part of the then Soviet Republic of Armenia. Within 30
seconds the Spitak earthquake, also called the Leninakan and Gyumri
earthquake destroyed the small city of Spitak, while the nearby cities
of Leninakan, capital of Shirak province (later renamed Gyumri) and
Kirovakan (later renamed Vanadzor) sustained a lot of damage as well.
Major infrastructure including electricity, natural gas lines, roads,
railways, water systems, schools and hospitals were either completely
destroyed or severely damaged. Four minutes later, a 5.8-magnitude
aftershock tremor struck nearby, collapsing buildings that had
survived the first quake, tearing an eight-mile rupture in the ground,
several feet wide in places. In Leninakan, with nearly 300,000
residents, about 80 percent of the buildings were either heavily
damaged or completely destroyed.
According to official figures, 19,000 people were injured and at least
25,000 were killed - according to other sources, there were up to
150,000 injuries and deaths in all and 514,000 people were left
homeless. The earthquake also destroyed about 40 percent of the
Armenian SSR's industrial infrastructure. Gyumri was an important
Soviet industrial town, especially for textile production. In summing
up the regional impact of the earthquake Armenian State Building
Committee official Iuri S. Mkhitarian stated that 342 villages were
damaged and another 58 were destroyed, while 130 factories were
wrecked and 170,000 people were out of work.
Archeologists had concluded that the Gyumri region was the oldest in
Armenia, with excavations in the old part of the city uncovering a
settlement dating back to 3000 B.C. The tremor was history repeating
itself, as in 1926 Gyumri, renamed Leninakan two years earlier in
honor of the founder of the Soviet state who had died two years
before, suffered an earthquake which destroyed many of its significant
buildings, including the Greek church of Saint George.
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Civil Defense, Major-General Nikolai
Dmitrievich Tarakanov, who two years earlier had directed relief
efforts at Chernobyl and was now sent to Armenia to oversee recovery
efforts declared, "Spitak proved to be much more terrible than
Chernobyl."
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who was in New York on his first day
of meetings with Reagan and Bush at the time the earthquake struck,
quickly returned to the Soviet Union once the scale of the disaster
became apparent, and shortly thereafter formally asked for American
and international help, the first Soviet request for U.S. assistance
since World War II. Eventually 113 countries sent substantial amounts
of humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union in the form of rescue
equipment, search teams and medical supplies, and private donations
and assistance from non-governmental organizations also played a
substantial role in the international effort.
Gorbachev subsequently set aside 5 billion rubles (about $8 billion)
in funds for recovery efforts that analysts believed would exceed the
cleanup bill for the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. In 1989 the Soviet
Union issued a 3 ruble coin commemorating the anniversary of the
tragedy.
But regional politics also played a role in impacting relief efforts.
Gorbachev visited the earthquake zone and left the disaster area angry
that locals were repeatedly asking him about freedom for
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians instead of focusing solely on relief
efforts. Relief efforts were slowed by the fact that because of
conflict the Azeris had closed their border with Armenia, which
remains shuttered to this day.
In Gyumri today, according to the Armenian "Depop2Repop" Repopulation
Project, there are 4,300 homeless families living in the same shelters
and makeshift houses they were forced into after the earthquake 26
years ago, with government authorities recognizing only 430 families
as eligible for apartments while, according to official information,
almost half of the population in Gyumri lives in poverty. Since
disaster struck more than two decades ago, Gyumri has lost 150,000
inhabitants, most of them as immigrants to Russia.
Depop2Repop founder and chairman Vahan Kololian declared, "Let's turn
our energies to rebuilding Gyumri and the entire Shirak region," while
Depop2Repop coordinating director Kamo Mailyan noted, "It is our
intention to invite a group of action-oriented Armenian civil leaders
and organizations from the diaspora to compose a Steering Committee to
establish a multi-disciplined approach to rebuilding Gyumri: urban
renewal; attracting industry, with a focus on fabrics, wool, and
textiles; rejuvenating cultural sites; and increasing tourism."
It is a poignant commentary on the priorities of the current Armenian
government that Gyumri's homeless inhabitants a quarter century after
a natural disaster must turn to their more prosperous compatriots in
the global Armenia diaspora to alleviate their plight.
http://www.silkroadreporters.com/2015/01/09/armenian-earthquake-victims-still-await-housing-26-years-later/