Demir noted in a statement that much of the ground in the area was saturated with water and that this posed a risk in case of heavy rainfall in the near future. “In case we see more heavy rains after this, it would be wise for citizens to be cautious of the risk of landslides,” Demir said. “If they suspect a landslide or mudslide is about to happen in their area they should notify authorities immediately.” The statement came during a visit to meet with Giresun Governor Mustafa Yaman to be briefed on post-flood recovery work in the region.
Heavy showers on Monday evening in Giresun resulted in widespread flooding, inundating over 100 homes with water. The adverse weather came before the city had a chance to recover from last week's severe flooding, with Giresun District Mayor Kerim Aksu saying the city's infrastructure had sustained serious damage and that the municipality did not have the resources to repair the damage.
After his visit to the governorship, Demir traveled to Rize, which also experienced flooding on Monday. He said public and state institutions were exerting the utmost effort to return life to normal for residents of the entire region affected by flooding. Demir also told the press that his comments on Tuesday with regard to the status of Giresun, one of a handful of Black Sea areas hit badly by flooding on Monday, had been misunderstood. Giresun, which is has been devastated by flooding and mudslides that have also affected Trabzon, Ordu and Rize, had not been designated a disaster zone by the state.
From Bartın to Artvin, the Black Sea region has seen more precipitation this year than its average for the past 60 to 80 years, Demir said, and in Giresun, over 160 kilograms of rain per square meter fell in a short period of time, causing extensive damage. The Ministry of Public Works will address this situation, Demir said, but added: “This is different from designating an area as a disaster zone. Our statements have likely been misunderstood. We are exercising our authority under Disaster Law No. 7280, which involves situations that affect general life, to intervene here. As for declaring disaster zones, that is a decision made by the Cabinet.” Demir said that Giresun, Ordu and Rize would be evaluated by ministry teams to determine how best to rebuild the damaged infrastructure in those areas.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry officials have warned that Black Sea residents should boil their water before drinking, as the flooding and infrastructural damage have also affected water sources, possibly contaminating them. “To prevent this contamination from bearing a negative effect, municipal administrators should use chlorine to clean the water systems, and residents should only drink water that has been sterilized. Drinking water and water for general household use in areas that lack automatic water sanitizers and that have been affected by flooding should be boiled and allowed to cool before drinking for two or three days after flooding. In villages where water sources aren't sterilized before drinking, the same precautionary methods should be employed,” a ministry statement said.
