Authorities in Istanbul have identified around 3,000 homes and businesses seriously damaged by recent flooding, with compensation payments set to begin, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said Monday.
Speaking to reporters in Ayazağa, in the Sarıyer district, one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding, Gül said teams had been assessing damage across the city and providing financial assistance to affected residents and businesses.
“We have identified approximately 3,000 homes and businesses that have suffered serious damage, and compensation payments for them will begin as of today,” Gül said.
Authorities have received around 19,300 reports following the disaster, with teams visiting affected locations to assess the damage, he added.
The reports range from leaking roofs to extensive damage to household belongings in flooded basements and properties situated at lower elevations.
Around 2,000 residents have suffered serious damage to their homes, and compensation payments have already begun, Gül said.
Authorities previously paid TL 10,000 ($200) each to 5,200 residents whose properties sustained less severe damage. An additional 2,500 residents are set to receive TL 10,000 each on Monday, he added.
Gül said many items in shops had been submerged by floodwaters, noting that many of the affected businesses were rented premises. Authorities would work to prevent further hardship for residents and business owners, he said.
Gül said authorities had completed assessments of agricultural losses, which amounted to approximately TL 60 million.
The damage included losses involving small livestock, greenhouses and other agricultural assets. Assistance deliveries had begun and were expected to be completed within the week, he said.
Residents who have not yet applied for assistance can contact the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) coordination truck stationed in the affected area. Teams will then visit their properties to assess the damage, Gül added.
He also said demolition work in Ayazağa had been completed but stressed that authorities would not demolish every structure in the area.
Demolitions would be carried out only where required by technical assessments of the stream's course and approved rehabilitation projects, he said.
“Wherever the stream's bed is located, wherever rehabilitation work is planned, and wherever the project covers an occupied area or a building that needs to be demolished, the necessary demolition will be carried out,” Gül said.
Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to six after the body of a man who went missing during the disaster was found near the Ayvansaray Ferry Terminal.
The body was discovered at around 7:30 a.m., according to a statement from the governor’s office. An initial examination identified the deceased as Haşim Ciritlioğlu, who had been reported missing during the flooding.
The flooding followed exceptionally heavy rainfall that battered Istanbul on Oct. 14, inundating homes and businesses, damaging roads and triggering landslides across several districts. Emergency and municipal teams have continued search-and-rescue operations, damage assessments and cleanup work in affected neighborhoods.