Prime Minister Edi Rama visited the quake-hit south-eastern region of Korça today. The government head toured the area and met visitors affected by the 5.3 magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks that rocked the rural area over the past few days. Accompanied by the Minister of State for the Relations with the Parliament, Elisa Spiropali, Minister of Defence Olta Xhaçka, and the Mayor of Korça, Sotiraq Filo, the Premier visited and saw the conditions for the quake-affected residents in the villages of Floq and Qafëzezë, and the displaced homeowners who have been sheltered in the camps built by the Civil Emergency teams shortly after the tremor.

“For every bad thing in life, there are more good things to tip the balance. This is the case of this earthquake, because although it shattered your houses, we will rebuild each of them and the new houses will be much better ones. At the same time, we will provide compensation for everything that has been damaged,” PM Rama pledged during a conversation with the disaster-hit residents, assuring them that construction of new houses will complete ahead of autumn.

Floq is the worst-affected village with 75 houses badly damaged and inhabitable, whereas more than 100 other buildings were lightly damaged. In addition to the tents provided by the Ministry of defence, food supplies and health care are also provided.

The affected residents are now being accommodated inside school buildings and other proper housing facilities. “We have already completed the initial damage assessment process and the intervention plan is now ready and I am confident that intervention projects will kick off very soon in order to make sure that whole problem is addressed within summer and you enter the new houses by autumn,” PM Rama told the affected local residents.