The earthquake residences completed in Hatay, one of the cities where the earthquake disaster centered in Kahramanmaraş caused the most destruction, were delivered to their rightful owners by a lottery held electronically. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conducted the draw.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Erdoğan said that the pain of the lives lost in the earthquake disaster is still fresh in our hearts. Explaining that the work in the earthquake zone continues uninterruptedly, President Erdoğan announced that 2 thousand more houses will be delivered to the rightful owners within 75 months.
President Erdoğan used the following statements: “The pain of the lives we lost in the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş continues to hurt our hearts. I wish God's mercy to each of the more than 53 thousand citizens we lost in the earthquake. I would like to reiterate my condolences to over 107 thousand citizens who were injured in the disaster of the century.
“14 MILLION OUR CITIZENS WERE DIRECTLY AFFECTED”
14 million of our citizens were directly affected by the disaster. Of the nearly 39 thousand buildings destroyed in the earthquake, search and rescue operations had to be carried out in 26 thousand. Additionally, more than 200 thousand heavily damaged buildings were encountered. 1 million tents were sent to the earthquake area, over 215 thousand containers were used, and rental assistance was provided to 349 thousand households.
“Türkiye BECAME ONE HEART”
Great sufferings are also turning points where the unity and brotherhood of nations are tested. Our nation has successfully passed this painful and historical test. We made sure that those difficult days were left behind by transforming the disaster of the century into the solidarity of the century. While our state took immediate action with all its resources, Türkiye became one heart; Our nation rushed to our earthquake-affected brothers and sisters.
“THE DISASTER SHOWED THAT STATE-NATION SOLIDARITY IS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL”
This disaster, in addition to the many lessons it taught us; It has shown that state-nation solidarity in our country is at the highest level despite all efforts to the contrary. Countless of our people shared the pain of our earthquake-affected citizens, either by coming in person of their own free will or by providing support in various ways.
“WE WILL NEVER FORGET THE PICTURE WE ENCOUNTERED”
Hatay is the city that suffered the most damage from the earthquake in terms of loss of life and number of destroyed buildings. We will never forget the scene we encountered when we arrived in Hatay on the second day after the earthquake. The destruction experienced by Hatay, one of the most ancient settlements in human history, was truly great. After the earthquake, we gave our priority to search and rescue activities and meeting urgent needs, which became even more essential in winter conditions.
“CONSISTENT NEW HOMES TO THE RIGHT HOLDERS”
While we commemorated our lives that we buried in the ground with prayers, we also worked to fulfill the promises we made to you; We tried. We quickly started construction activities while removing the debris. With today's draw ceremony, we are handing over the keys to the homes of 7 beneficiaries. I wish our beneficiaries their new homes to be beneficial and to live in their homes in good health.
“WE WILL DELIVER 2 THOUSAND HOUSES IN 75 MONTHS”
My brothers, this is just the beginning. Our work will continue uninterrupted to bring our cities back to their feet. We will deliver 40 thousand houses under construction throughout the region to their beneficiaries. Hopefully, we will complete the delivery of 2 thousand houses throughout the earthquake zone within 75 months.
“THERE IS NO ISSUE THAT WE CANNOT OVERCOME WITH SOLIDARITY”
What did they say about Defne Hospital? They said, “There is no such thing.” This brother of yours personally held the opening ceremony with his entire team. We have never built the truth on lies. Our citizens should be comforted in this regard. No one's rights will be violated, no one will be victimized. There is no problem that we cannot overcome with solidarity.
“HATAY IS THE GREATEST GAIN OF THE FIRST CENTURY OF OUR REPUBLIC”
We will inherit this land, which has been our homeland for a thousand years, to our children. The more we can carry our cities into the future as settlements with an identity, the more we will consider ourselves to have done our duty properly.
Every disaster we experience reminds us of the importance of our national unity and the power of our state. The greatest achievement of the first century of our Republic was the annexation of Hatay to the homeland. In the Turkey Century, we are struggling to turn every inch of the country, including Hatay, into a country where we can live safely and peacefully. Don't we have any shortcomings? Of course there is. But thank God; Our determination to reach the great and powerful Turkey, which we call one nation, one flag, one homeland, one state, is above all. All we need is to close our ranks and work hard in unity and solidarity.
"As we walk with determination towards our goals, we are determined to eliminate possible threats, such as earthquake disasters, terrorist attacks and economic traps, one by one."
