“THE QUAKE IS STILL FRESH IN OUR MINDS”
Azg/arm
8 Dec 04
The second edifice of Erebuni hotel has become the home of the
people who moved to Yerevan after the quake 16 years ago. Many Gyumri
families are living in the rooms situated next to each other in the
long corridor. But after this edifice was sold the dwellers donâ~@~Yt
know whether they will stay here or not.
Marieta Manukian and her son have been living in Erebuni hotel for
15 years. She moved to Yerevan with her family in 1988. “I was at
my office when the earthquake began, my husband was in the street,
my son was at school and my girl was in Yerevan. The greater part
of my sonâ~@~Ys school was destroyed. His classes were in the part
of the school that didnâ~@~Yt ruin. None of our family members
died on December 7, but we lost our apartment and the hope for a
better future,” Mrs. Marieta says. The members of this family face
the consequences of the devastating earthquake till now. Marieta
Manukian is a second class disabled and receives pension amounting to
5000 AMD. Marieta is a widow, her husband perished in Artsakh war in
1992. Her son is a worker and can pay only for electricity. They live
in a small room and their clothes and the beds are the only property
of this family. “We are registered for receiving an apartment in
Gyumri, but only God knows when we will get it. It is not clear how
long we shall be living in this room, either. We live without hoping
for tomorrow. I only wish to have my own corner, I wish my son had
a job and marries,” Mrs. Marieta says.
Mariam and Aram met and fell in love with each other, got married
in Erebuni hotel. Aram Karapetian was saved out of the school ruins
after the quake. Mariam was playing in the yard at the moment of the
tragedy. “I was 9 in 1988, while my husband was 12. I became a third
class disabled, while my husband is a second class disabled after the
quake. Together we receive about 6000 AMD pension. My husband has no
permanent job,” Mariam says. They have two children, 7-year-old Sveta
and 5-year-old Vrezh. They live in the small room they received after
the marriage. “We are also registered for an apartment in Gyumri. We
have no idea when we will get it. We donâ~@~Yt know for how long we
will be able to live in this hotel, either,” Mariam says.
When we tried to find out from the leadership of the hotel about the
future fate of Gyumri residents living in Yerevan, they said that
the edifice is sold and they canâ~@~Yt provide any information.
“In 1988 I was 15, but till now I see that terrible day in my
nightmares. The entire city was buried in dust and ruins were
everywhere. One could hear people cry and moan in all the corners
of the city. The peopleâ~@~Ys faces bore the reflection of horror
on their faces. Sometimes I think that the quake didnâ~@~Yt stop
for us and it continues to break our lives in another image,” Artur,
the son of Mrs. Marieta says.
By Arevik Badalian
–Boundary_(ID_UUJU3vVdD/4Rag90FKMKdw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress