Shkoi Kurdistan-
Iraq will send three billion dinars ($2 million) to the Kurdistan Region to assist people who suffered damage in this week’s Erbil floods, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson.
The federal cabinet made the decision in a meeting on Tuesday, Jotiar Adil stated.
The first heavy rainfall of the season in Erbil on Saturday caused severe flooding in neighbourhoods in the city’s northeast. Muddy waters swept into people’s homes and stalled vehicles were stranded on flooded roads. More than 500 homes and 130 cars were damaged, some beyond repair.
“The car I’m working on now is impossible to fix because it’s destroyed and not good enough to be fixed, but the owner insisted,” mechanic Shamal Goran told Shkoi Kurdistan on Tuesday. He estimated the repairs will cost as much as $6,000 in addition to loss in the resale value of the car.
The license plates of some cars were ripped off in the flood and Fazil Haji, spokesperson of Erbil traffic police, on Monday said the traffic directorate will provide replacements, free of charge.
Samie Faruq wants to sell his damaged car, but can’t find a buyer. “The damage to my car was over $3,000. It’s hard to resell it at the market. This is another loss, besides damage to my house which is about $5,000,” he said.
Governor Omed Khoshnaw, in a press conference on Tuesday, said they will begin assessing compensation for 561 damaged houses on Wednesday.
The government has promised support. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on Sunday they tasked teams to help areas affected by the flooding and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani visited flood-hit Zerin City and Korean Village on Sunday. He said in a tweet that he “reassured them of our utmost support at this time.”
