The Real Tragedy is What Hasn’t Happened After the Earthquake

 Ara Khatchatourian

Once again we are commemorating the anniversary of the tragic earthquake that hit Armenia on December 7, 1988. As we honor the victims of that tragedy, we must tell ourselves that we, as a nation, have failed to rebuild the earthquake zone, which almost 30 years later is still labeled the “disaster zone.”

Some 550 families are still homeless victims of the earthquake, living in makeshift metal containers scattered around Gyumri, Spitak, Akhourian and other rural areas that were devastated by the earthquake. Yet some 47 miles from Spitak, the epicenter of the earthquake, cranes dot the skyline of Yerevan, with new residential and commercial building mushrooming in a city that has become a virtual construction zone.

Gyumri, The Armenia I Left

 Gegham Mughnetsyan

I was born three years after the earthquake, in the city in ruin, in the so-called “Zone of the Catastrophe.” My earliest memories are those of a grey city in the winter, and of water-less, electricity-less temporary housing units filled with the warmth of stoves that consumed everything from wood flooring to paper volumes of the Big Soviet Encyclopedia.

Reducing the Risk of 1988

Serouj Aprahamian

 

Twenty five years ago, on December 7, 1988, a catastrophic earthquake ripped through Armenia, decimating the town of Spitak and surrounding areas. The quake left more than 25,000 people dead, 15,000 injured, 517,000 homeless, and $14.2 billion in economic damage.

But the horror of that day was just as much a result of human negligence as it was natural causes. International experts concluded that poor building construction, a lack of emergency planning, and inadequate medical care were the main factors behind the earthquake’s devastation.

A Quarter-Century Has Not Changed Much in the Quake Zone

Edmond Y. Azadian

Many nations celebrate the glorious events of their history, Armenians tend to commemorate the more dismal pages of their past  — the fall of the city of Ani to Seljuks, the Genocide, the earthquake and other chains of tragedy that form Armenian history. Ironically, one of the most exhilarating celebrations is the annual commemoration  of the Vartanants War of 451 AD against the Persians; a story of a defeat, but one which Armenians consider it to be the triumph of spirit over a formidable, Godless enemy.

Thus, the stage is set to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Gumri earthquake, which took place in 1988, on December 7, at 11:41 a.m.

A Time to Act: What will become of Varak Monastery after the recent earthquake in Van?

Ara Sarafian 

Varak Monastery, near Van, was one of the great monastic centres of the Armenian church. Its main structure was built at the end of the 10th century. Much of the monastery was destroyed in 1915, a significant part was destroyed in the 1960s, while good sections have just barely survived until our days. In recent years, busloads of tourists have visited Varak as a place of historic interest. Many have been Armenian, but also Germans, Japanese, Italians and Americans. 

Only a Japanese Ship Accepted the Armenians

Japan, the country of the rising sun, and its people have charmed Artsvi Bakhchinyan, an Armenian Studies scholar who has been engaged in studying Armenian-Japanese historical-cultural relations for the past few years.