Deputy Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), Nuri Aslan, closely followed the developments after the heavy rain in the city at the IMM Disaster Coordination Center (AKOM). Aslan, who received information from his staff one by one, made a statement.
Stating that he wholeheartedly shares the pain of 2 citizens who lost their lives in heavy rains, Aslan said, "Unfortunately, we lost our 14-year-old son, who died due to electric shock after stepping on the water accumulated at the vehicle entrance of a private parking lot in Fatih Balat, and our 34-year-old citizen, who fell into the water on Sarıyer Dereboyu Street. I wish God's mercy to our citizens who lost their lives and offer my condolences to their families and relatives. It is extremely important that these events be clarified in all aspects and that negligence, if any, is revealed." "It is important," he said.
Aslan continued his speech and stated the following:
“IN SOME REGIONS, 130 TO 273.1 KILOGRAMS OF PRECIPITATION FALLED PER SQUARE METER”
"Our Istanbul was faced with one of the heaviest rainfalls of recent years. The heavy downpour that started on Tuesday morning, continued all day, increased its effect and continued throughout the night, negatively affected life in many parts of our city. With the effect of the cold air coming from the Balkans and the rainfall system originating from the Central Mediterranean, a very high amount of precipitation was recorded, especially around the Bosphorus and in the northern parts of the European Side. According to our AKOM data, between 130 and 273.1 kilograms of precipitation per square meter fell in some of our regions. In Beykoz Rainfall was 273.1 kilograms per square metre, 208.1 kilograms in Sarıyer and 202.8 kilograms in Eyüpsultan. In other districts, the rainfall was between 35 and 120 kilograms. During the night, around 45 kilograms of rainfall fell per square meter.
“WE CONTINUE OUR WORK UNINTERRUPTED”
As of this morning, the rain has largely lost its effect. We expect light rain on the Anatolian Side until noon; We predict that the rainy system will then leave Istanbul. However, the end of the rains does not mean that our work is over. As Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, we have been on the field with all our units from the first moment. We worked non-stop throughout the night with our 8 thousand 392 colleagues, 2 thousand 246 vehicles and work machines. We continue our work without interruption this morning. Our Fire Department, İSKİ, Road Maintenance, İSTAÇ and Police units; Parks and Gardens, IETT, Metro and all units of Istanbul work in coordination. We are in close cooperation with our Istanbul Governorship and all institutions of the state. We used hundreds of motor pumps and submersible pumps in water evacuation works. Our teams worked in the field throughout the night to respond to the reports.
“OUR TEAMS EVACUATED 595 CITIZENS TRAPPED ACROSS ISTANBUL”
As of now, we have received 8 thousand 515 reports from the moment the rain started until this morning. Our priority has, of course, always been human life. Our teams evacuated 595 citizens stranded throughout Istanbul. We reached our citizens who were stranded in workplaces, schools, residences and various facilities due to the increase in stream levels, especially in Göktürk, Kemerburgaz and Ayazağa regions. We hosted those in need of our evacuated citizens in our facilities. We provided the necessary vehicle support to reach their homes. Due to heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic jams occurred on main arteries, underpasses and connecting roads. Our teams responded to floods, blockages and road closures. The roads, which were made safe, were reopened to transportation. Our work continues in areas where there is risk. We also took the necessary precautions to prevent public transportation from being disrupted. Problems encountered in IETT flights have been resolved. The problems experienced in the metro lines have been resolved and transportation on the metro lines is now uninterrupted. Only our cable car lines are currently closed due to weather conditions. Again, to facilitate transportation for our citizens, we continued our metro services until 02:00 at night. Our Metrobus services continue 24 hours a day until the morning.
“WE OPENED ALL OUR SOCIAL FACILITIES FOR 24 HOURS”
Due to weather conditions, there are cancellations or delays in sea transportation as well as in cable cars at some points. In addition, we opened all our social facilities 24 hours a day for our citizens who were left outside due to rain and had difficulty reaching their homes. We met people's food, beverage and shelter needs. Many of our points, such as Çubuklu Silos, Museum Gazhane, Caddebostan, Bakırköy Beach, Avcılar Sea Mansions, and Beltur points in Kartal, were in service throughout the night. We have supported and continue to support our citizens so that they can rest in safe environments and meet their basic needs.
“I ESPECIALLY REQUEST OUR CITIZENS TO STAY AWAY FROM FLOOD ZONES”
As I said, it was the highest rainfall in the last 45 years. Istanbul was faced with a disaster. However, unfortunately, we lost two lives during the period when the teams of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, AFAD, our Governorship, all institutions of our state, the Police and the Gendarmerie acted together and received the highest heavy rainfall in its history; I wish they weren't there too, it made us very sad. But all our teams fought hard to avoid facing a difficult process in Istanbul. Although the rains have largely ended, the danger has not completely disappeared, especially in stream beds, flooded areas, underpasses and areas at risk of landslides. I specifically ask our citizens not to use roads that are closed for security purposes, not to drive or walk through puddles, and to stay away from stream beds and flood zones. Electrical installations should not be intervened in, especially in flooded structures, without the necessary safety checks. Decisions were taken by our Istanbul Governorship regarding the closure of all schools and leave measures for their employees. I request our fellow citizens to follow the statements of our authorized institutions.
“OUR CLEANING AND DAMAGE DETECTION WORKS WILL CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED”
Istanbul is a big city where 16 million people live. Such a high amount of precipitation falling in a short time put serious pressure on our city's infrastructure, transportation and daily life. Our duty is not to ignore the problems; to intervene in each of them, identify deficiencies and carry out the necessary work. We are on the field with our teams today, just like yesterday. On behalf of the people of Istanbul, I would like to thank all my colleagues who work day and night with great sacrifice. Our flood relief, road opening, cleaning and damage assessment work will continue uninterrupted. We follow the developments closely from AKOM and act in coordination with all our relevant institutions.
None of our fellow citizens should feel alone. We will continue to support our citizens in every neighborhood of Istanbul, at every point of need. May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives once again, and our condolences to their families; I convey my best wishes to all Istanbulites affected by the rains. We are on our duty for our Istanbul, we continue to work with all our resources.
