ARMENPRESS

NINETEEN YEARS AFTER SPITAK EARTHQUAKE 6,000 FAMILIES
STILL LACKING DECENT HOUSING

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Armenians are
commemorating today the 19th anniversary of a powerful
earthquake that razed to ground northern parts of the
country in 1988 killing over 25,000 people.
The urban ministry said to Armenpress that huge
work was done in the area over the last ten years to
restore practically all secondary schools and built
thousands of apartments and mansions and roads, but it
said 6,000 families in the area that was referred to
several years ago as `disaster’ zone, are stilling
living in temporary dwellings.
The ministry said a lot has yet to be done to fully
recover the region’s infrastructures. The government
budget released this year 1 billion Drams to back up
different construction programs.
In 2001-2004 about 6,000 families in Shirak and
Lori provinces which were hit by the earthquake,
received apartment purchasing certificates that was
designed, introduced and funded by the Urban Institute
of the USAID.
This program was caught up by the government in
2005 and since then it has been releasing funds to
homeless families to support it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress