Imamoglu announced: we open at the end of July

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, said that the construction of a temporary settlement in Hatay has begun.

Ekrem Imamoglu, Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), met with earthquake victims in Defne, after Antakya and Samandag, during his visit to Hatay before Eid al-Adha.
Visiting the tent camp established by the Sariyer Municipality together with Defne Mayor Ibrahim Güzel, Imamoglu distributed gift sets prepared by the Istanbul Foundation to the earthquake victims.

CHP MPs Mehmet Güzelmansur, Nermin Yıldırım Kara and Servet Mullaoglu, as well as CHP Chairman of Hatay Province Hakan Tiryaki also accompanied Imamoglu during his visit to Defne.

“GIVE TO OWNERS”

Explaining that they are working in cooperation with the Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, Imamoglu said, “We are building a temporary settlement in this region. We’re going to end this. I will visit again at the end of July. We will return it to the owners. As soon as he arrives, we will talk with the municipality of Hatay and other municipalities about “what should we do next, how should we do it” and we will share it with our people. I hope that we will no longer experience such pain as a nation. We must prepare for disasters at the highest level. Let’s hope we make our nation experience a process that succeeds in this preparation, is skillful, and keeps the mind ahead. “We have to learn from our mistakes,” he said.

“TENT” EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE

After his speech, Imamoglu listened to the concerns of the earthquake victims. While the survivors of the earthquake mostly talked about the difficulties of living in tents in hot weather, they demanded containers. Noting that this issue is mainly within the purview of AFAD, Imamoglu expressed the opinion that temporary shelters, rather than tents and containers, are suitable for a long-term solution.

LUNCH WITH COLLEAGUES

Imamoglu and the accompanying delegation, who traveled from the tent city to the IMM Disaster Management Coordination Center in Antakya, celebrated the holiday with the staff they had lunch with.

Addressing his colleagues after the meal, Imamoglu drew attention to the fact that the people did not give good tests due to natural disasters. Saying, “Everyone is responsible for this,” Imamoglu said, “If you don’t take responsibility and change your roadmap accordingly, and you repeat the same mistakes, 10 years later, 15 years later, in another corner of the country, at such a table, we will pray for the people we have lost.” found.

“There is no time to waste”

Imamoglu, who asked İBB staff to check their homes, warned that this is directly related to the lack of human resources that could arise after a possible earthquake or natural disaster.

Emphasizing that they have made special efforts to repair Istanbul’s rotten structures, Imamoglu said;

*Of course, I’m not talking about something that will save all of Istanbul. This is a big job. That’s what we’ve been talking about for four years: let’s have a big mobilization. Let’s put this above politics. Let’s make this the most important question.

* This business does not have a government, ministry or municipality. It’s not part A, part B, or part C. It’s a matter of life, for God’s sake. That’s why let’s run Istanbul from one hand, but through the Earthquake Council, which includes everyone.

* I’ve been saying this to the authorities for four years now, until it reaches anyone but their ministers. I hope that we can achieve this through this new process. Because we need to manage decisions in a controlled way, transparently, so that everyone sits at the same table, so that no one can turn this into political material.

* Emphasizing that a possible earthquake in Istanbul would be a security issue for the country, Imamoglu said: “We should not waste a single minute.

PROJECT EXAMPLE FROM KIPTAS

After meeting with his colleagues, Imamoglu also visited the KIPTASH Antakya temporary residence zone.

Imamoglu, who received information about the project from KİPTAŞ General Manager Ali Kurt, inspected the built sample apartment. Kurt told Imamoglu that the complex would include a kindergarten, a nursing home, a library, a social and administrative area, and commercial space.

Emphasizing that the most important problem in Hatay and other earthquake-prone regions is the problem of housing, Imamoglu said: “The issue of housing is not an issue that can be solved with a tent. This is not a problem that can be solved with a container in the medium term. Because our people live together and want to live together.”

“THIS IS THE AREA”

Noting that the process of restoring the destroyed houses may take no earlier than 1.5-2 years, Imamoglu shared the following information:

*After that, 5 years, 6 years, 7 years may gradually pass. Therefore, healthy temporary shelters are needed. At this point, my friends and I agreed on the development of the project.

* Under the leadership of KIPTAŞ, our group of urbanists has created a very good process and we have made our step here. We have organized a very important and valuable field together with our municipality. We have created a serious infrastructure here.

* So, like water, sewerage, electricity right now. And this process works. Hopefully we will finish this place at the end of July and we will prepare a very orderly area with about 1000, maybe even a little more than 1000 people. This is the area. So it’s not a container city.

*This is a project that has worked very hard on its order, layout and insulation, both in relation to heat and cold, and at the same time with its coexistence. At the same time, merchants will be here again. We have prepared places for merchants. This is a truly valuable exemplary temporary residential complex with its own hairdresser, butcher shop and places for them, as well as a playground and green space.

“WE WANT THIS MODEL TO GROW HERE”

* Since we’re doing it here, we want this model to grow here. Of course, we started this place with some of the resources and capabilities of our metropolitan municipality, but I have to say here; Since it started in the previous period, the resource collected by all the deputies of the Republican People’s Party group in the Turkish Grand National Assembly in the previous period was also transferred here.

*Then we have other donors. I hope that with the participation of each of them we will make our discovery by naming these institutions by some of their names. Hopefully, after other seminars and meetings that we will hold in July, with the opening at the end of July, we will announce a very important roadmap for the institutions and organizations of our country and our state, what we will do and our cooperation with the municipalities here. Good luck now.