Society 10:53 07/12/2013

Spitak earthquake victims still waiting for help 25 years on

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, Deutsche Welle reports.

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?"

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."

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.

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.

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."



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:00
Armenian church honors St Gregory the Thaumaturgus and others
The Armenian Apostolic Church on Saturday commemorates St Gregory the Thaumaturgus, Nicholas the Bishop and St Myron the Wonderworker....
16:30
Banner at Armenian church in Watertown vandalized, police say
A banner at St. Stephen’s Armenian Church in Watertown has been vandalized, Watertown News reports, citing local police. The...
16:02
At least 3 arrested as Montreal anti-NATO protests turns violent
Montreal police say at least three people were arrested after protests turned violent Friday evening, with demonstrators throwing objects at...
15:45
Expert: Armenia pinned hopes on 'European fairy tales' and became isolated
Arthur Khachikyan, an international relations expert from Stanford University, claims the Armenian government’s poor foreign...
15:07
Armenian-Russian relations 'in agony', expert says
Hayk Khalatyan, a political analyst at the Verelq Information and Analytical Center, on Saturday accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his...
14:32
Powerful Israeli airstrike kills 11 people in central Beirut
A powerful airstrike killed 11 people in central Beirut on Saturday, the Lebanese civil defence said, shaking the capital as Israel pressed its...
14:15
Expert: Armenian-Azeri talks somewhat stalled
Political analyst Suren Sargsyan claims the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks have somewhat stalled amid the change of government in the United...
13:33
Temperatures set to plunge next week
Clear weather is expected in Armenia's regions over the weekend. Rain and snow are forecast for most parts of the country next week....
13:06
Magnitude 4․3 quake hits Azerbaijan, felt in Armenia
A magnitude 4․3 earthquake struck Azerbaijan on Saturday afternoon. The quake was recorded 42 km northeast of the town of Goris in...
12:35
Opposition MP slams Pashinyan's Western Armenia remarks
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Levon Kocharyan has blasted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's remarks on Western Armenia and Baku’s fake...
12:00
MP Hovik Aghazaryan says decided on his parliament seat
MP Hovik Aghazaryan of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party has made a decision on his parliament seat. The deputy has told the media...
11:36
US lawmakers request classified briefing on Turkey’s ties to Hamas
More than three dozen Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to offer a classified briefing on...
11:15
Armenia's Mushegh Mkrtchyan wins bronze at World Military Wrestling Championships
Armenian serviceman Mushegh Mkrtchyan (92 kg) has clinched a bronze medal at the 37th CISM World Military Wrestling Championships in Yerevan,...
11:00
Switzerland bans exports to Polish firm after Swiss-made ammunition ends up in Ukraine
The Swiss government said Friday it is barring exports to a Polish military hardware supplier after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of...
17:12
Armenia to face Georgia in Nations League play-off
The 2024/25 UEFA Nations League knockout stage and play-off ties have been confirmed following the draw in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday....
16:36
Hayk Marutyan agrees to debate with Tigran Avinyan
New Power party leader Hayk Marutyan has agreed to a TV debate with incumbent Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan. Marutyan, a former Yerevan...
15:45
Opposition politician: Pashinyan leading Armenia to 'final collapse'
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration is leading Armenia to the “final collapse” and Turkification, opposition...
15:05
Caretaker deputy justice minister sacked
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has signed a decree to dismiss Armenuhi Harutyunyan as Acting Deputy Minister of Justice....
14:35
Armenian parliament speaker confirms MP's resignation
National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has issued a statement on the resignation of Narek Zeynalyan as an MP from Armenia’s ruling Civil...
14:06
Visa restricts media access to key event in Yerevan
Visa has restricted the media access to the Cashless Forum 2024 to be held in Yerevan for the first time on November 22. Only...
13:36
Orban says he will invite Netanyahu to Hungary after ICC warrant
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary, saying he would guarantee...
13:11
Temps to plummet in Armenia
Clear weather is expected in Armenia's regions on Friday and over the weekend. Rain and snow are forecast for most parts of the country...
12:32
Alexis Ohanian showcases rare Armenian coin
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has showcased a rare Armenian coin from 95 BC featuring Tigranes the Great, a famous Armenian king....
12:16
German foreign minister criticizes Azerbaijan's human rights record
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized the human rights record of Azerbaijan during her first appearance at the UN Climate Change...
12:06
Minister shares new images captured by Armenia's first satellite
Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has shared new satellite images from orbit captured by ARMSAT-1,...
11:36
World Cadet Chess Championship passes its halfway mark
The 2024 World Cadet Chess Championship has passed its halfway mark in Montesilvano, Italy. After 6 rounds, in the Open 12 category CM...
11:15
Iran to launch 'new and advanced centrifuges' in response to IAEA censure
Iran said Friday it would launch a series of "new and advanced" centrifuges in response to a resolution adopted by the IAEA that...
11:00
Armenian, Iranian foreign ministers hold phone call
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Thursday had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi....
17:07
Winter military draft starts in Armenia on November 25
The winter conscription for compulsory military service starts in Armenia on November 25 to run through January 31, 2025. The...
16:45
Russian spokeswoman told not to comment on ballistic missile strike live on air
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova received a phone call during a live press briefing on Thursday telling her not to...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}