Relief supplies sent to the flooded area in Van

The Alliance for Labor and Democracy in Van has carried out a relief campaign for the flooded areas in the province. Seven vans were sent to the particularly affected districts of Başkale, Gürpınar, Çaldıran and Özalp with food, blankets and other necessities. All nine associations and organizations of the Labor and Democracy Alliance participated in the campaign.

The chairman of the Professional Association of Civil Engineers in Van, Firat Durmaz, who accompanied the relief supplies, called for immediate protective measures against further disasters. He issued the call from one of the flooded villages. The region must be declared a disaster area, and the destroyed and damaged houses must be rebuilt, the engineer said and continued: “In order to declare a place a disaster area, there are legal prerequisites. These prerequisites are not present in the floodplains. However, this overlooks the fact that the next flood wave can cause even greater damage. For this reason, a disaster situation must be declared, and immediate measures must be taken. First and foremost is the preparation of an emergency plan. The destroyed homes and stables must be rebuilt. The residents whose animals died must be given new animals. As a second step, the buildings constructed in the flood bed must be moved. As a professional association, we will follow the further work.”