ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) needs more than $14 million to compensate for losses caused by the Friday floods in Erbil, the municipality minister said on Monday, adding that thousands of houses and vehicles were damaged by the flooding.
“Compensation of losses caused by Erbil flooding requires more than 21 billion dinars ($14,393,166)” as per an estimation of a recently-formed special committee, Sasan Awni was quoted in a tweet by his Municipality and Tourism Ministry.
“As per the figures, the flooding has damaged nearly 3,000 houses and over 150 businesses, and nearly 900 vehicles submerged in the water,” he added after making a field visit to the affected areas. He was later cited by the KRG as saying that 402 of these houses were "completely destroyed."
The floods, which affected several southeastern neighbourhoods and sub-districts in Erbil province early Friday, took the lives of twelve people, including foreigners. Erbil’s Civil Defence teams have continued to search for the bodies of two other victims - namely shepherd Omed Shamil and ten-month-old Danar Nabaz.
Erbil and Duhok provinces have cancelled New Year celebrations out of respect for the victims.
Regional and Western countries have expressed solidarity with Erbil for the flooding, and several campaigns have been launched locally to help the affected.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has allocated one billion Iraqi dinars ($685,000) to the affected people. The money will be spent through the Rwanga Foundation in coordination with the local government and the Barzani Charity Foundation.
This is the second wave of flooding in Erbil city this year, with the first one in late October mostly causing material damage. Bad sewage system was blamed for this flooding as well, and the investor who built an affected neighbourhood was jailed for allegedly changing the direction of the sewage.
