TODAY MARKS 21ST ANNIVERSARY OF SPITAK EARTHQUAKE
Tert.am
11:39 ~U 07.12.09
December 7, 1988, is the date the earthquake in the Spitak region
of Armenia, then part of the Soviet Union, took place. The Spitak
earthquake (also known as the Leninakan or Gyumri earthquake) was a
tremor with a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale that caught the
world’s attention 21 years ago because of the large-scale destruction
that resulted in the region.
Every year on this day, the disaster area becomes the centre
of attention; however, years go by and issues continue to remain
unresolved. Before the mark of today’s anniversary, Gyumri’s Asparez
press club appealed to journalists, editors and other members of the
press, highlighting the present state of the disaster area.
A number of statistics are outlined in the press release that Asparez
press club issued, including the fact that the disaster zone has
still not been restored: in Gyumri alone, more than 4,100 families,
displaced from their homes because of the earthquake, have been living
in temporary shelters. The numbers of other homeless (split families,
families with children born after the earthquake, immigrants, and
families who left their homes for other reasons that resulted from
the earthquake) is more than 3,500.
Presenting the situation, Asparez press club appealed to the press,
asking them to delve deeper into settling that which has been promised
to earthquake survivors, "being guided only by the public’s interest;
in this case, giving preference to the interests of earthquake
survivors."