All families affected by the earthquakes that hit Albania on September 21 and November 26 last year are eligible to a 100% compensation grant through state budget funds for their quake-damaged private homes.
The distribution of the government recovery grant to over 20,000 households for rebuilding earthquake damaged private homes started today in the Municipality of Kamez, after the process was initially launched in the Municipality of Shijak.
Addressing to Kameza residents and other quake-affected families that are still coping with the effects of the devastating tremors at the end of last year, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that government will provide full compensation to every affected households for rebuilding and repairing the earthquake damaged homes and properties.
“As we have already shown since day one and as we are already demonstrating during the implementation phase, the Post-Earthquake Reconstruction and Recovery Program includes two household categories: the families that have their houses and are temporarily housed in rented properties and the rural families currently staying at their private land waiting for their houses be rebuilt; secondly, all individuals and families who live, or used to live either in repairable individual homes or collective apartment houses.
From the very beginning, we have already pledged a direct financial support to this category of affected families to rebuild their damaged houses. The process was launched in the Municipality of Kamez today where the direct compensation grant is being delivered to the eligible households through postal service.
As of today, lists of the eligible beneficiaries have been approved by local authorities in nine municipalities, namely the municipalities of Shijak, Kamez, Rrogozhine, Kurbin, Mirdite, Vore, Kavaje, Kruje, and partially in Tirana. We expect the process to further move forward in Tirana and Durres this week. A total of 9429 households have been approved as eligible to compensation grants and an initial fund of 3 billion lek is already being distributed to these families,” PM Rama said on a live web video communication with the Minister of State for Reconstruction Arben Ahmetaj, also coordinator for the National Recovery Plan, the Mayor of Kamez Rakip Suli, and the Minister of Defence Olta Xhaçka.
The Municipality of Kamez today will distribute an amount of 163 899000 lek or around $1.6 million to a group of 349 quake-affected households whose houses have sustained DS1 damage level, 261 beneficiaries whose homes have suffered DS2 damage level and 161 families eligible to compensation for rebuilding their homes after sustaining DS3 damage level, or significant damages, with the construction costs due to be fully covered by the government.
“We are helping some 771 families that were affected by the devastating earthquake of Nov 26. As of today, the distribution of the compensation grants continues in three administrative units of Kamez, Bathore and Paskuqan. The Municipality has set up a construction office to oversee the reconstruction and the rebuilding investment step by step, as well as provide assistance to everyone, if necessary. In the meantime, work to construct three new schools and one kindergarten in Kamez will begin very soon, while work is already underway for construction of a number of other educational facilities in the area. The reconstruction of 21 houses damaged by the Sept 21 earthquake is expected to complete very soon,” Kamez Mayor said.
Reconstruction Minister Ahmetaj said that more than 20,000 families are eligible to the government grants for rebuilding their houses.
“The total amount earmarked for compensation is estimated around $80 million. The quake-affected families in Durres only will benefit around $24 million for DS1, DS2, DS3 damage levels,” Ahmetaj said, adding that work to reconstruct houses in the worst-hit areas is progressing at a fast rate. “A number of international donors, including European Commission through the UNDP, and KfW on behalf of the German government, Qatar and Slovenia have already kicked off work to construct schools. Austrian government is supporting construction of an Austrian-type village, the government of Switzerland has been engaged in providing grants to the affected households in the Municipality of Shijak by making available a fund of 750,000 euros. Swiss government will also provide financial assistance for residents in the Municipality of Kurbin. In the meantime, the Albanian Development Fund yesterday launched the second call for the construction of the individual homes and we expect the work to begin on the ground in the next ten days,” Ahmetaj said.
Defence Minister Olta Xhaçka, who visited one of the families whose house sustained damages due to the Sept 21 earthquake and who was handed over the keys to the newly-built house, said that this category of quake-affected households will move to their new houses in few weeks’ time. According to her, it is a total of 170 families which are eligible to benefit under the government support program after their houses sustained serious damages due to the powerful Sept 21 earthquake and for which the government has allocated a state budget fund of 470 million lek and an additional fund of 19 million lek through the Ministry of Defence budget for the civil protection.
“We completed construction of first 30 houses this week. Another group of 60 new houses will complete next week and construction of all houses damaged by the Sept earthquake is expected to complete in the next few weeks,” Xhaçka said.
