Erdoğan in the Black Sea amid floods: 'Balance is disturbed'

* Photo: Presidency's Communications Directorate

Click to read the article in Turkish

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made a speech in Güneysu district in Turkey's Black Sea province of Rize, which has been recently hit by heavy rainfall, floods and landslides, along with its neighboring provinces such as Artvin.

Referring to the ongoing Sacrifice Feast, Erdoğan has said, "Like our brothers and sisters in both Rize and Artvin, we are having a bitter feast."

'Summers, winters not like they used to be'

In his speech addressing the people of Güneysu, Erdoğan has noted that "the flood disaster that occured in Rize, especially in Güneysu, has caused serious damage across the city." Sharing details about the efforts during and after the flood, Erdoğan has said that 2,860 people, including 328 search and rescue personnel, and 705 vehicles worked in the area.

Announcing that "almost all of the closed 426 roads have been opened", President and AKP Chair Erdoğan has indicated that "50 separate teams assessed the damages in the buildings in 119 villages."

"With the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ), we have started working on projects in the 4 districts that have been affected by the flood the most," Erdoğan has said, announcing that "traditional village houses and buildings that will not be taller than 3-4 storeys will be built in the center and 50 village houses with barns downstairs will be built in villages."

'Disasters will be inevitable if balance disappears'

Saying that "Allah created the earth on the basis of a scale and balance," Erdoğan has said, "Disasters, troubles and hardships will be inevitable if this balance disappears. When the balance is disturbed, rain, which we see as Allah's mercy and grace, will turn into a calamity, so to say."

Referring to the "increasing global warming", Erdoğan has noted that "with this warming, we see that such incidents intensify."

Touching upon the recent floods in Western Europe, especially in Germany, President Erdoğan has said, "You must be watching on TV what has been happening from Germany to Belgium and France. Neither the summers nor the winthers are like they used to be."

Presidency's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has also shared a video on his social media account showing President Erdoğan and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu.

Altun has said that on his way from Trabzon to Rize, Erdoğan received information from the Minister about the works undertaken after the flood.

CLICK - Flood in Rize: Search efforts underway for two missing people

A week after Rize was hit by heavy rainfall, floods and landslides, which claimed the lives of six people and caused two people to go missing, the province was hit by heavy rainfall, floods and landslides again.

CLICK - Flood in Artvin province: 200 people evacuated

Artvin, another Black Sea province in Turkey, has also been faced with floods and landslides as a result of heavy rainfall. (PT/SD)