Armenian government to compensate flood-affected residents

JAMnews

Yerevan

Compensation for flood victims in Armenia

The Armenian government will compensate residents of Lori and Tavush regions affected by May’s floods. Those who lost homes will receive certificates for new housing and funds for household items and appliances. Vice prime minister Tigran Khachatryan reported that 16 apartments and two private homes were destroyed.

Others will receive monetary compensation based on the extent of damage in each area. For severely affected settlements, residents will receive 60,000 Armenian Drams (about $155) per square meter for housing repairs, while less affected areas will receive 40,000 Drams (about $104) per square meter.

All disaster zone residents will also receive one-time financial assistance.

Flooding on May 25-26 caused rivers Debet, Agstev, and Tashir to overflow, damaging roads, bridges, and homes, resulting in four fatalities. Six communities in Lori and three in Tavush have been declared disaster zones, encompassing 39 settlements.

Certificate for housing purchase and amount for household purchases

At a government session, Minister of Internal Affairs Vahe Ghazaryan presented a project aimed at assisting those affected by the recent disasters. He announced that individuals left without housing will be provided with certificates to purchase new apartments. Kazarayan clarified that cases where apartments or individual homes were completely destroyed, collapsed, or deemed unsafe for habitation will qualify for this assistance.

The minister explained that beneficiaries of the program include individuals who have legal ownership rights to real estate, regardless of whether these rights are formally registered with the state. These rights may have been acquired through legal decisions, transactions, inheritance, or other lawful means.

Those who lost their homes will also receive financial compensation to purchase essential household items such as furniture and appliances. In severely affected communities like Alaverdi in Lori region and Ayrum in Tavush region, compensation will amount to 1,200,000 Armenian Drams (approximately $3,117), while in other areas, it will be 800,000 Drams (approximately $2,078).

Flood in Northern Armenia: One casualty reported, 190 people evacuated

Emergency and rescue operations are underway in both flood-affected regions of Armenia, Lori and Tavush.

Assistance for home repairs – owners of 263 private houses

The amount provided for repairs will depend on the size of the property, said Vage Kazaryan.

“But there is a maximum limit for compensation, which is set at 80 square meters,” he stated.

It is already known that 263 private houses have been damaged. Owners of 30 of these houses have issues with their property ownership documents. The government needs to determine the ownership of these properties before deciding on compensation.

Victims will also receive social support

The implementation of the social program in the disaster zone is the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

One-time financial support will be provided by the ministry to all members of 250 families affected by the flood. This includes 854 individuals.

Each person will receive either 40,000 or 60,000 drams, depending on their community and the extent of the damage in that area.

The ministry will also pay 1 million drams (approximately $2,597) to the families of the four deceased.

39 settlements in Armenia declared disaster zones

We’re talking about cities and villages in the Lori and Tavush regions where bridges, roads, and houses collapsed due to flooding. The government has already allocated about $800,000 to deal with the aftermath of the natural disaster.