Turkey has begun work to rebuild homes following this month’s devastating earthquakes, a government official said on Friday, February 24, as the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 50,000.February 6 earthquakesThe Disaster and Emergency Management Authority announced the death toll in Turkey due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night.
Authorities say tents have been dispatched for the many who are homeless, but people have reported trouble accessing them. The Turkish government’s initial plan now is to build 200,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses at a cost of at least $15 billion, he said. US bank JPMorgan had estimated rebuilding houses and infrastructure will cost $25 billion.
The UNDP estimates that the disaster had produced between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble, compared with 13 million tons of rubble after the earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.