Cost of flood in Turkey’s Ordu estimated to be at 165 million liras
ORDU - Anadolu Agency
The cost of flash floods caused by heavy rains in the Black Sea province of Ordu is estimated to be at 165 million Turkish Liras ($27.1 million), Enver Yılmaz, the mayor of the city, said on Aug. 14.
“Works to calculate the cost of the disaster are still ongoing, thus the final number could be much higher,” Yılmaz added without elaborating.
The initial figure includes damages to the infrastructure, roads and sewage system, according to the mayor.
Some 10,000 people in the province were affected, one person was killed and nine others injured, he also said.
According to the mayor, a total of 455 houses and businesses were flooded, nine bridges collapsed, 15.5 kilometers of road structure and 123 power distribution units in 59 neighborhoods were damaged.
In the Çaybaşı district, 18 houses were evacuated as precaution against a possible landslide, Yılmaz said.
The evacuated buildings will be demolished and their residents will be transferred to other buildings and their rents will be paid by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
The families that had to evacuate their homes will receive an annual rent allowance of 8,500 liras for two years, according to Yılmaz.
New houses will be built in safer areas for those affected families, he said.
On a related note, the Ordu Governor’s Office said in a written statement that flash floods, which hit Ordu between Aug. 8 and Aug. 10, damaged 100,000 tons of hazelnuts.
Several tons of hazelnuts were swept into the sea, piling up in shapes of islets off Ordu.
Speaking in Rize, another Black Sea province, on Aug. 9, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the government would help the flood victims.
