By Tom Westcott and Reem Tombokti.
Tripoli, 25 April 2013:
Families whose homes will be demolished after they sustained severe structural damage in . . .[restrict]Tuesday’s car-bomb attack on the French embassy, have been offered accommodation in holiday chalets in Janzour.
“The French embassy has been offered a new building but no one offered us a proper solution,” one neighbour told the Libya Herald today.
His house, situated directly opposite the embassy, was severely damaged by Tuesday’s explosion.
“Janzour holiday chalets are not a solution,” he said. He explained that these are small, not made to a high standard, and are completely unsuitable for a family.
“We want a permanent solution,” he said, “it is not our fault that the bomb went off, and we should not have to pay for this.”
An elderly resident told the Libya Herald: “They want to send me to a place in Janzour, but it is a chalet by the sea. It is not even a proper house.” He also said that the family needed to stay in the Hay Andulus area, where his grandchildren go to school. “Janzour is too far away and I do not drive,” he added.
“The government should give us the money so we can buy new homes or try to rebuild on the damaged sites of the old houses,” another neighbour said, “or provide proper rented accommodation in the local area while houses are rebuilt.”
He also complained that the five nights’ hotel accommodation provided by the government provided was inadequate.
“We are currently staying in a hotel but the rooms are very small and other family members are not allowed up to the rooms,” he said. Family visits can only be conducted in a cafe in the lobby, he added, something which was not appropriate for conservative Libyan families.
“The hotel reservation runs out on 27 April and we have still not been offered a suitable solution,” he said. “We are currently homeless.”
Another resident, whose house has been declared structurally sound but remains uninhabitable, told the Libya Herald that the hotel room is so small that she prefers to stay in her ruined home.
While other family members cram into the hotel room, she sleeps in a building where every window is shattered and there is no water or electricity. The bathroom partially collapsed from the explosion, forcing her to use her neighbours’ facilities.
Seven of the damaged homes around the embassy have been declared structurally unsafe and will be demolished.
The residents have no idea how long it will take for their homes either to be demolished or rebuilt. “The government has said that they will form a committee to deal with this,” Salim said, “but this will take time.” [/restrict]
