Turkey reconstruction would need more than USD 100 billion: Erdogan
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that cost of the damage caused by last month’s devastating earthquake has hit USD 104 billion. He spoke via a video link as donors at a conference in Brussels vowed funds to help Turkey and Syria.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen kicked off a EU-hosted fund-raising event by promising one billion euros ($1.1 billion) for reconstruction in Turkey and 108 million for humanitarian aid in Syria.
“The needs of the survivors are still massive and must be tackled with urgency,” von der Leyen said.
During his address, Erdogan said that “regardless of its economic standing, it is impossible for any country to fight a disaster of this scale on its own.”
Turkey was hit last month by a catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake that flattened entire cities. More than 50,000 people across southeastern Turkey and parts of war-torn Syria were killed, millions were displaced. And to add to the woes of the common people, flash floods occurred in the region.
The United Nations has set the “recovery costs” for Syria at $14.8 billion.
After the UN complained of poor level of response to a call to come to Turkey help, aid groups urged donors to step up their commitments.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), said they should at least ensure that the UN’s emergency appeal for $1 billion for Turkey and $397 million for Syria are fully funded.
“Over a month since the earthquake, the situation in affected regions remains desperate,” said Tanya Evans, IRC country director for Syria.
“With many homes damaged or destroyed, many people are left with no choice but to sleep in overcrowded and under-resourced collective shelters,” she said.
(With inputs from agencies)
