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I hope we have all had a moment to reflect on this sad day in the history of our Armenian nation. Blessed be all the persons who died, and all those who helped to assist and rebuild the affected areas.
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Armenians Mark 20 Years Since Devastating Quake
December 7, 2008
source: Asbarez
GYUMRI (AFP) -- Armenians on Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that left 25,000 people dead, as many survivors still waited for new homes after years of promises.
President Serzh Sarkisian joined the head of Armenia's Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, for commemorations of the Spitak earthquake held in one of the worst-hit cities, Gyumri.
At 11:41 am Armenians across the country observed a moment of silence on the exact time the quake struck 20 years earlier.
Unveiling a sculpture in Gyumri depicting victims of the earthquake, Sarkisian thanked the international community for aid and support given to the then-Soviet republic after the disaster.
"Twenty years ago, all peoples rallied to our side, despite the Cold War, ideological differences and different political views," Sarkisian said. "From the first days, our people felt like the whole world was with us."
But a few kilometres (miles) away from the ceremonies, in a settlement of small metal shacks, survivors were still waiting for the new homes they were promised after the earthquake.
"We are hoping that the government will fulfil its promises and in the next two years we will finally receive a new apartment," said Suzana Gyoletsian, 40, whose family, along with dozens of others in the settlement, still live in one-room metal cabins provided in the weeks after the quake.
Nearly 7,000 families remain homeless after their houses and apartment buildings were destroyed in the quake, despite repeated government promises to build them new homes.
Gyoletsian and her husband raised two sons in the tiny cabin, which has neither gas for heating nor running water. Their only income is a small government pension of about 100 dollars (79 euros) per month.
Armenia's government announced plans last month to spend 252 million dollars (199 million euros) for reconstruction efforts starting next year, aimed at finally rehousing all those who lost their homes in the quake by 2013.
"I believe, and I will ensure, that in the next few years there will not be one family in the affected area without a roof over their heads, despite the global financial crisis," Sarkisian said at the ceremony Sunday.
Gyoletsian, who after the quake spent six hours in the rubble of her apartment building waiting to be rescued, is hoping that this time the government help will finally come through.
"This has been a very difficult time. We have had to overcome a lot of obstacles, but we haven't lost hope," she said.
The 7.0 magnitude quake struck Armenia on December 7, 1988 with its epicentre near the town of Spitak, in the mountainous northwest of the country.
Spitak, a town of about 4,000 people, was completely destroyed and nearby Gyumri was heavily damaged. In total, about 25,000 people were killed, more than 140,000 were injured and more than half a million lost their homes.
Experts blamed shoddy construction and the failure of emergency services for much of the death and destruction. In some cases, it took up to three days for rescuers to reach affected areas.
An outpouring of international humanitarian aid, followed in the immediate aftermath of the quake.
Unable to adequately respond to the devastation, the Soviet Union, for the first time since World War II, asked for outside assistance.
In the Diaspora, Armenians organized aid drives almost immediately, some traveling to the shattered republic to provide personal assistance. Meanwhile, hours after the quake hit, thousands of Armenians in Armenia rushed to then Leninakan to help rescue people trapped under the rubble.
Dozens of countries contributed to the rescue efforts, while Armenia's neighbors, Turkey included, provided immediate assistance, dispatching helicopters and teams of rescue workers to the disaster zone within hours of the tremors.
The Soviet government vowed a massive reconstruction effort to rebuild within two years, but plans never materialized.
Subsequent Armenian governments have struggled to find funds to rebuild as Armenia's economy collapsed after independence and it was hit by economic embargoes from neighbors Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In a statement Sunday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid tribute to the earthquake victims and thanked Armenians for remembering the aid Russian had provided.
"We bow our heads before the memory of the thousands of victims of this natural disaster. We remember with deep respect and gratitude today the courage of the rescuers who answered the call for help." he said.
"In this hour of difficulty Russia quickly extended a helping hand to Armenia, made its contribution to the rescue operation and recovery work. It is cause for gratitude that the memory of this is carefully preserved by the Armenian people."
***********************
From Leninakan to Gyumri: 20 Years Later
December 7, 2008
source: Asbarez
Gyumri, Armenia: known as Leninakan in the Soviet Era, is home to the second largest urban population in Armenia and a city with a notorious history.
It was in Gyumri where Turkish forces under the order of Kemal Attaturk threatened to invade Eastern Armenia and wipe out the remaining Armenian population in the early 1920's. Gyumri was also the epicenter of a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake which, 20 years ago, sent ripples throughout the Armenian nation, destroying two major cities and devistating the then Soviet Republic of Armenia.
The earthquake, which hit on December 7, 1988, completely leveled the city of Spitak and nearly destroyed all of Gyumri. The industrial city of Vanadazor, as well as several villages located within the Shirak and Lori Provinces were also severely hit. The sheer carnage caused by the quake was the result of the flawed Soviet construction of apartment buildings and Soviet modeled structures built during the “stagnation era” under Leonid Brezhnev (1960-64 and 1977-82). Major factors involved were the insufficiency and almost non-existence of steel and cement due to rampant corruption, in and outside of construction projects, and internal administrative fragmentation.
20 years have passed since the tragic earthquake and yet remnants of the damage caused are still visible today, serving as a haunting reminder to the 25,000 lives lost and over 500,000 left homeless as a result of the earthquake.
The earthquake was such a traumatic and devastating event that the then General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, had to leave his first ever visit to the United States in a hurry for “ground zero” to take on damage control and oversee the emergency relief effort in Armenia's Shirak province. But the Soviet Union was ill-equipt to handle the catastrophe and Moscow's response was comprable to the disasterous response of the US government to Hurricane Katrina.
Exacerbating the devistation was the earthquake's fateful timing. It hit Armenia amid rising tensions with Azerbaijan, where pogroms and massacres against Armenians had occured only months earlier. The earthquake hit just as Armenians in Karabakh and Armenia proper were begining to stand up for their rights and demand the right to self-determination. The death figures that year were a pyschological mealstorm for the Armenain nation.
Unable to respond, the Soviet Union, for the first time since World War II, asked for help and an the international community responded in full force, sending rescue teams, evacuation helicopters, food, supplies, doctors and financial aid.
Gorbachev inability and reluctance to act and his bitterness toward the Karabakh Movement had also spurred Armenians from all walks of life to unite in an international effort to save survivors, gather aid from abroad and get it to where it was most needed. Organizations such as Aznavour for Armenia (Directed by Charles Aznavour), the Armenian Relief Society, Rock Aid to Armenia, initiatives financed by Kirk Kirkorian, and several other equally important groups, were front runners in the aid effort. Also notable was the increadible grassroots movement to raise funds and gather supplies carried out by Armenian college and university students in the United States.
Although Diasporans and local Armenians have made enormous efforts over the years to reconstruct Gyumri and the surrounding regions, many still in this historic city remain homeless or dislocated in old discarded shells of oil tankers and shack communities, refereed to as “Domiks,” erected as temporary relocation housing but have sadly become permanent homes for many families.
But the situation in Gyumri is not lost. Many NGOs and private organizations from abroad have been investing manpower, youth, and labor opportunities over the past few years. Some have even brought small-scale businesses, mainly of electronics production, to create a base of employment in a city that once thrived because of its large labor force.
Development, however, has been slow-paced and minuscule in proportion because of the overwhelming concentration of investment and development into the country's capital, Yerevan. As a result, the remainder of Armenia, including the city of Gyumri and the whole of Shirak Province, have been left neglected.
Volunteer organizations such as the BirthRight Armenia Depi Hayk, program have brought Diasporan youth to Gyumri not only to work at various internship opportunities but also to gain firsthand knowledge of the city's centuries old culture. Because of such programs, Diasporan youth have opportunities to live with local families to get a feel of what it's really like to be an Armenian living in Armenia and outside of Yerevan. The Pyunic Center of Gyumri for example has brought volunteers to Gyumri to serve as mentors for the city's disadvantaged children.
The Armenian Youth Federation, another organization present in Gyumri this past year, had volunteers from Southern California help direct a Day Camp for the local youth. The day camp consisted of close to a hundred children from the local community and served as an important factor in helping to keep the morale of Gyumri's youth up and running, away from the hardships of everyday life. This program also helped connect Diasporans with their native homeland, brothers and sisters abroad, and gain a deeper understanding of their Armenian identity.
The YMCA and Peace Corps can also be found hard at work in Gyumri, whether it's helping the local youth with camping programs and athletics, or doing much needed humanitarian work.
Meanwhile, local Armenian youths have begun a grassroots effort to help develop their city's social element and community through plantation programs and athletics clubs, partially backed by the Shirak Human Rights Protection Center and financed from abraod.
On the cultural side, Gyumri has just recently celebrated the 10th Anniversary of its Fine Arts Academy. The Academy was built by the commitment and dedication of the Hayastan All-Armenia Fund, Armenian General Benevolent Union, and funds provided by Loris Tjeknavorian. The academy serves as the Gyumri branch of three state art institutions of Yerevan, consisting of six departments. The institution houses various student works 's fine arts, graphics, sculptures, textile designs, etc. 's and close to 200 future specialists, reflecting Gyumri's age old tradition of maintaining and nurturing artistically driven Armenian minds.
Also based out of Gyumri is the internationally renowned KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir. Known for their traditional Armenian music, the KOHAR Symphony went on tour in 2007, traveling and holding major concerts throughout the Diaspora. This group is not only a magnificent contribution to Armenian musical performance but also serves as the livelihood of many families in Gyumri, especially for many women whose husbands have left (mainly to Russia) in search of work, leaving them to raise and support families on their own.
Projects and development such as this have helped support Gyumri's community, infrastructure, and intellectual base, preventing a further depletion of the city's population.
The last 20 years have served as a grim reminder to the trials and hardships in which the Armenian people have had to continuously endure. However, the fact that the Armenian people have been able to endure such tragedies as Genocide, the Spitak Earthquake, and the Karabakh conflict, shows that they are a people who cannot be held down or broken by any whirlwind that comes their way and threatens to rip their nation by its roots.
Moving on and rebuilding, brick by brick, in the aftermath of the Spitak Earthquake is an astonishing resemblance of the Armenian identity and psyche, revealing a hint of stubbornness in its true comic nature.
As time passes, we must not forget the lessons that occurrences such as this have taught us. It is our responsibility as Diasporans, as "Deghatsis," and most importantly, as Armenians, to pressure the current Armenian Government and international organizations to move forward in their infrastructure and developmental projects outside of central Yerevan. There is also need to reinforce these projects with seismic-protected structures, or we may soon see a repeat of this tragic event.
Gyumri, and its history, have played a crucial role in Armenian statehood and culture. As this city recovers, it is important that we find ourselves contributing to not only its physical and economic reconstruction, but also in morally supporting its local community to show them that Armenians outside have not forgotten them and do wholeheartedly care.
Next time you find yourself on the streets of Yerevan or on the back roads of the countryside, be sure to stop by this beautiful region of Armenia and share the love that I, and many others, have found in sweet old Leninakan.
**************************
Armenians Mark 20 Years Since Devastating Quake
December 7, 2008
source: Asbarez
GYUMRI (AFP) -- Armenians on Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that left 25,000 people dead, as many survivors still waited for new homes after years of promises.
President Serzh Sarkisian joined the head of Armenia's Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, for commemorations of the Spitak earthquake held in one of the worst-hit cities, Gyumri.
At 11:41 am Armenians across the country observed a moment of silence on the exact time the quake struck 20 years earlier.
Unveiling a sculpture in Gyumri depicting victims of the earthquake, Sarkisian thanked the international community for aid and support given to the then-Soviet republic after the disaster.
"Twenty years ago, all peoples rallied to our side, despite the Cold War, ideological differences and different political views," Sarkisian said. "From the first days, our people felt like the whole world was with us."
But a few kilometres (miles) away from the ceremonies, in a settlement of small metal shacks, survivors were still waiting for the new homes they were promised after the earthquake.
"We are hoping that the government will fulfil its promises and in the next two years we will finally receive a new apartment," said Suzana Gyoletsian, 40, whose family, along with dozens of others in the settlement, still live in one-room metal cabins provided in the weeks after the quake.
Nearly 7,000 families remain homeless after their houses and apartment buildings were destroyed in the quake, despite repeated government promises to build them new homes.
Gyoletsian and her husband raised two sons in the tiny cabin, which has neither gas for heating nor running water. Their only income is a small government pension of about 100 dollars (79 euros) per month.
Armenia's government announced plans last month to spend 252 million dollars (199 million euros) for reconstruction efforts starting next year, aimed at finally rehousing all those who lost their homes in the quake by 2013.
"I believe, and I will ensure, that in the next few years there will not be one family in the affected area without a roof over their heads, despite the global financial crisis," Sarkisian said at the ceremony Sunday.
Gyoletsian, who after the quake spent six hours in the rubble of her apartment building waiting to be rescued, is hoping that this time the government help will finally come through.
"This has been a very difficult time. We have had to overcome a lot of obstacles, but we haven't lost hope," she said.
The 7.0 magnitude quake struck Armenia on December 7, 1988 with its epicentre near the town of Spitak, in the mountainous northwest of the country.
Spitak, a town of about 4,000 people, was completely destroyed and nearby Gyumri was heavily damaged. In total, about 25,000 people were killed, more than 140,000 were injured and more than half a million lost their homes.
Experts blamed shoddy construction and the failure of emergency services for much of the death and destruction. In some cases, it took up to three days for rescuers to reach affected areas.
An outpouring of international humanitarian aid, followed in the immediate aftermath of the quake.
Unable to adequately respond to the devastation, the Soviet Union, for the first time since World War II, asked for outside assistance.
In the Diaspora, Armenians organized aid drives almost immediately, some traveling to the shattered republic to provide personal assistance. Meanwhile, hours after the quake hit, thousands of Armenians in Armenia rushed to then Leninakan to help rescue people trapped under the rubble.
Dozens of countries contributed to the rescue efforts, while Armenia's neighbors, Turkey included, provided immediate assistance, dispatching helicopters and teams of rescue workers to the disaster zone within hours of the tremors.
The Soviet government vowed a massive reconstruction effort to rebuild within two years, but plans never materialized.
Subsequent Armenian governments have struggled to find funds to rebuild as Armenia's economy collapsed after independence and it was hit by economic embargoes from neighbors Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In a statement Sunday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid tribute to the earthquake victims and thanked Armenians for remembering the aid Russian had provided.
"We bow our heads before the memory of the thousands of victims of this natural disaster. We remember with deep respect and gratitude today the courage of the rescuers who answered the call for help." he said.
"In this hour of difficulty Russia quickly extended a helping hand to Armenia, made its contribution to the rescue operation and recovery work. It is cause for gratitude that the memory of this is carefully preserved by the Armenian people."
***********************
From Leninakan to Gyumri: 20 Years Later
December 7, 2008
source: Asbarez
Gyumri, Armenia: known as Leninakan in the Soviet Era, is home to the second largest urban population in Armenia and a city with a notorious history.
It was in Gyumri where Turkish forces under the order of Kemal Attaturk threatened to invade Eastern Armenia and wipe out the remaining Armenian population in the early 1920's. Gyumri was also the epicenter of a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake which, 20 years ago, sent ripples throughout the Armenian nation, destroying two major cities and devistating the then Soviet Republic of Armenia.
The earthquake, which hit on December 7, 1988, completely leveled the city of Spitak and nearly destroyed all of Gyumri. The industrial city of Vanadazor, as well as several villages located within the Shirak and Lori Provinces were also severely hit. The sheer carnage caused by the quake was the result of the flawed Soviet construction of apartment buildings and Soviet modeled structures built during the “stagnation era” under Leonid Brezhnev (1960-64 and 1977-82). Major factors involved were the insufficiency and almost non-existence of steel and cement due to rampant corruption, in and outside of construction projects, and internal administrative fragmentation.
20 years have passed since the tragic earthquake and yet remnants of the damage caused are still visible today, serving as a haunting reminder to the 25,000 lives lost and over 500,000 left homeless as a result of the earthquake.
The earthquake was such a traumatic and devastating event that the then General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, had to leave his first ever visit to the United States in a hurry for “ground zero” to take on damage control and oversee the emergency relief effort in Armenia's Shirak province. But the Soviet Union was ill-equipt to handle the catastrophe and Moscow's response was comprable to the disasterous response of the US government to Hurricane Katrina.
Exacerbating the devistation was the earthquake's fateful timing. It hit Armenia amid rising tensions with Azerbaijan, where pogroms and massacres against Armenians had occured only months earlier. The earthquake hit just as Armenians in Karabakh and Armenia proper were begining to stand up for their rights and demand the right to self-determination. The death figures that year were a pyschological mealstorm for the Armenain nation.
Unable to respond, the Soviet Union, for the first time since World War II, asked for help and an the international community responded in full force, sending rescue teams, evacuation helicopters, food, supplies, doctors and financial aid.
Gorbachev inability and reluctance to act and his bitterness toward the Karabakh Movement had also spurred Armenians from all walks of life to unite in an international effort to save survivors, gather aid from abroad and get it to where it was most needed. Organizations such as Aznavour for Armenia (Directed by Charles Aznavour), the Armenian Relief Society, Rock Aid to Armenia, initiatives financed by Kirk Kirkorian, and several other equally important groups, were front runners in the aid effort. Also notable was the increadible grassroots movement to raise funds and gather supplies carried out by Armenian college and university students in the United States.
Although Diasporans and local Armenians have made enormous efforts over the years to reconstruct Gyumri and the surrounding regions, many still in this historic city remain homeless or dislocated in old discarded shells of oil tankers and shack communities, refereed to as “Domiks,” erected as temporary relocation housing but have sadly become permanent homes for many families.
But the situation in Gyumri is not lost. Many NGOs and private organizations from abroad have been investing manpower, youth, and labor opportunities over the past few years. Some have even brought small-scale businesses, mainly of electronics production, to create a base of employment in a city that once thrived because of its large labor force.
Development, however, has been slow-paced and minuscule in proportion because of the overwhelming concentration of investment and development into the country's capital, Yerevan. As a result, the remainder of Armenia, including the city of Gyumri and the whole of Shirak Province, have been left neglected.
Volunteer organizations such as the BirthRight Armenia Depi Hayk, program have brought Diasporan youth to Gyumri not only to work at various internship opportunities but also to gain firsthand knowledge of the city's centuries old culture. Because of such programs, Diasporan youth have opportunities to live with local families to get a feel of what it's really like to be an Armenian living in Armenia and outside of Yerevan. The Pyunic Center of Gyumri for example has brought volunteers to Gyumri to serve as mentors for the city's disadvantaged children.
The Armenian Youth Federation, another organization present in Gyumri this past year, had volunteers from Southern California help direct a Day Camp for the local youth. The day camp consisted of close to a hundred children from the local community and served as an important factor in helping to keep the morale of Gyumri's youth up and running, away from the hardships of everyday life. This program also helped connect Diasporans with their native homeland, brothers and sisters abroad, and gain a deeper understanding of their Armenian identity.
The YMCA and Peace Corps can also be found hard at work in Gyumri, whether it's helping the local youth with camping programs and athletics, or doing much needed humanitarian work.
Meanwhile, local Armenian youths have begun a grassroots effort to help develop their city's social element and community through plantation programs and athletics clubs, partially backed by the Shirak Human Rights Protection Center and financed from abraod.
On the cultural side, Gyumri has just recently celebrated the 10th Anniversary of its Fine Arts Academy. The Academy was built by the commitment and dedication of the Hayastan All-Armenia Fund, Armenian General Benevolent Union, and funds provided by Loris Tjeknavorian. The academy serves as the Gyumri branch of three state art institutions of Yerevan, consisting of six departments. The institution houses various student works 's fine arts, graphics, sculptures, textile designs, etc. 's and close to 200 future specialists, reflecting Gyumri's age old tradition of maintaining and nurturing artistically driven Armenian minds.
Also based out of Gyumri is the internationally renowned KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir. Known for their traditional Armenian music, the KOHAR Symphony went on tour in 2007, traveling and holding major concerts throughout the Diaspora. This group is not only a magnificent contribution to Armenian musical performance but also serves as the livelihood of many families in Gyumri, especially for many women whose husbands have left (mainly to Russia) in search of work, leaving them to raise and support families on their own.
Projects and development such as this have helped support Gyumri's community, infrastructure, and intellectual base, preventing a further depletion of the city's population.
The last 20 years have served as a grim reminder to the trials and hardships in which the Armenian people have had to continuously endure. However, the fact that the Armenian people have been able to endure such tragedies as Genocide, the Spitak Earthquake, and the Karabakh conflict, shows that they are a people who cannot be held down or broken by any whirlwind that comes their way and threatens to rip their nation by its roots.
Moving on and rebuilding, brick by brick, in the aftermath of the Spitak Earthquake is an astonishing resemblance of the Armenian identity and psyche, revealing a hint of stubbornness in its true comic nature.
As time passes, we must not forget the lessons that occurrences such as this have taught us. It is our responsibility as Diasporans, as "Deghatsis," and most importantly, as Armenians, to pressure the current Armenian Government and international organizations to move forward in their infrastructure and developmental projects outside of central Yerevan. There is also need to reinforce these projects with seismic-protected structures, or we may soon see a repeat of this tragic event.
Gyumri, and its history, have played a crucial role in Armenian statehood and culture. As this city recovers, it is important that we find ourselves contributing to not only its physical and economic reconstruction, but also in morally supporting its local community to show them that Armenians outside have not forgotten them and do wholeheartedly care.
Next time you find yourself on the streets of Yerevan or on the back roads of the countryside, be sure to stop by this beautiful region of Armenia and share the love that I, and many others, have found in sweet old Leninakan.