Erdogan aims to rebuild Kahramanmaras in 1 year

• Turkey will rebuild Karamanmaras in one year.
• And donate 10,000 Turkish liras to aid affected families.
• The search for survivors has become more challenging as a cold front sweeps.

The southern province of Karamanmaras, which was the epicenter of Monday’s tragic earthquake, will to be rebuilt, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “in one year.”

“We can never let our citizens stay on the streets,” Erdogan said Wednesday while speaking from an emergency relief area set up by the country’s disaster management agency.

“Our state is using all its resources with AFAD (Turkey’s disaster management agency) and municipalities. We will continue to do so.”

The president announced that the government has set up hotels for residents to stay in if they so choose, and that it plans to donate 10,000 Turkish liras (about $531 USD) to aid families affected by the earthquake.

Erdogan also conceded that the government “had some challenges” with clearing clogged roads and supplying towns and relief workers with natural gas, which made it difficult for rescuers to access collapsed structures and rescue survivors.

But he said that everything are now “under control.” Erdogan continued, “We are in a better place today, and we will be even better tomorrow.

The search for survivors has become more challenging as a cold front sweeps across Turkey and Syria, raising the danger of hypothermia for anyone trapped under the rubble.

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