Veliaj: Every damaged house will be made from scratch

Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj and SP deputy Ervin Bushati visited those affected at the social centre “Misto Mame” in the Nation, where they stressed that uninhabitable residences will be rebuilt.

“We have opened up all of Tirana's social centres, primarily to accommodate the lonely elderly. There are many young people living abroad and their parents are alone, so it's the job of the community that they are even more vulnerable, to be more attentive. Our social centres will be open 24/7, there is food, blankets, medical service”, he said, while asking community administrators to report any problems. Tirana's “Bashkia has been on alert since 0400 in the morning. We've had over 70 families trapped in the house because of the door locks, eight apartment buildings with blocked elevators, yet we've spent no life loss”, he said.

The mayor guaranteed that all houses that have been made uninhabitable by this earthquake will be rebuilt from scratch, while relief will also begin with food, clothing, and home appliances.

By tomorrow we'll have a relief action, not only food and clothing, but also home appliances, beds, and so on, as we did for the September 21 earthquake when we helped rebuild our new homes; this is what we will do after this earthquake. Every damaged house will be made from scratch; it appears this is a test we cannot escape, but we just have to face it with dignity and start the recovery in Tirana”, Veliaj said.

While expressing condolences for families who have lost their relatives in Thumana and Durres, Veliaj indicated that Tirana would offer its help in overcoming this difficult moment.

<x0) It's a tragic situation, all the people of Tirana are with them, and by tomorrow, as soon as we're out of emergencies, we'll see a wave of solidarity in Tirana for other affected cities. We're gonna be solidifying today with Thummana. Tirana's municipality will grant a fund, as we did last time with Durres and Kamza”, the mayor said.

Veliaj underlined that this is a moment of solidarity, so he called on all citizens to provide their help.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Tirana is also working on verifying all educational institutions, schools and shelters before the decision to open them is made.

From 0400 today's morning, all Tirana's companies and emergency forces are on the ground to cope with the effects of a strong earthquake involving Tirana and Durres.

Early in the morning Mayor Veliaj gathered Tirana's Emergency Staff, where he outlined a summary of the situation created on its territory, while stressing that all municipal forces are in aid to those in need. He stressed that emergencies have been ordered immediately, once the situation has been recorded, to begin distribution of aid. /Attish