After this month's deadly earthquakes, Turkey has started rebuilding homes; a government official announced on Friday that the death toll in Turkey and Syria crossed the 50,000 mark.
The earthquakes on February 6 that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and neighbouring Syria also caused more than 160,000 structures, holding 520,000 apartments, to collapse or suffer significant damage.
On Friday night, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that the number of fatalities in Turkey attributable to earthquakes had increased to 44,218. With Syria's most recent death toll of 5,914, the total fatalities in the two nations have surpassed 50,000.
President Tayyip Erdogan has promised to reconstruct homes within a year, even though authorities should prioritize safety above expediency given that he faces an election in a few months. The most recent earthquakes caused some buildings designed to withstand shocks to collapse.
"Contracts and tenders have been conducted for several projects. The procedure is progressing quickly, "On the condition of anonymity, the official added that safety would not be compromised. Officials said tents had been deployed for the homeless, but individuals have reported problems accessing them.
"There are eight of my kids. We are currently camped out. The ground is wet, and there is water on top of the tent. We need additional tents, but they refuse to provide them for us. "Melek, 67, was lined up outside a high school in the Hassa town, waiting for relief.
A volunteer organization called Interrail Turkey was using the school as a delivery point for aid. According to one volunteer, Sumeyye Karabocek, the most significant issue is still needing tents.
HALF A MILLION NEW HOMES NEEDED
Erdogan's administration has come under fire for how it handled the destruction and for what many Turks claim were years of lax enforcement of construction quality standards.
According to him, the Turkish government intends to spend at least $15 billion on building 200,000 flats and 70,000 village homes. U.S. bank JPMorgan estimated the cost of reconstructing homes and infrastructure at $25 billion.
According to the UNDP, 500,000 new dwellings are required because of the destruction, which has left 1.5 million people without a place to live.
It stated that it had asked for $113.5 million out of the $1 billion in cash requested by the UN last week and would use this money mostly to clear mountains of rubble.
Erdogan's administration has come under fire for how it handled the destruction and for what many Turks claim were years of lax enforcement of construction quality standards.
According to him, the Turkish government intends to spend at least $15 billion on building 200,000 flats and 70,000 village homes. U.S. bank JPMorgan estimated the cost of reconstructing homes and infrastructure at $25 billion.
According to the UNDP, 500,000 new dwellings are required because of the destruction, which has left 1.5 million people without a place to live.
It stated that it had asked for $113.5 million out of the $1 billion in cash requested by the UN last week and would use this money mostly to clear mountains of rubble.
