Istanbul’s weather was a hit with the international media this week with “Flooding kills 31 in Turkey,” “Heaviest rains in 80 years...,” “‘Once in a century’ downpour...,” “... govt under fire,” “Istanbul mayor promises reform after deadly floods” all implying a high degree of precipitation. Meanwhile the Turkish press released numerous photos that looked like someone drove a bus into a river.
And the media attention is well-deserved: floods are one of the most camera-friendly natural disasters for the sheer number of suffering that can fit into a single shot (right after earthquakes and Africa ). Yet most of Istanbul
Admittedly, there was the occasional city-wide “menacing” overcast, but nothing to justify the steady stream of death and destruction talked about in the media. Tens did die and certain areas suffered tens of millions of dollars in damage, but the damage was mostly restricted to the relative outskirts of town.
About a 45 minute drive, or a 3 hour swim, from downtown Istanbul
- Anticipating imminent threat; whether this be armed neighbors or condensed water vapor, everybody wants a piece of
- Playing the blame game; immediately after the flooding began, the main opposition party leader demanded the Istanbul mayor, a member of the ruling party, resign. Also, many have traced the flood-prone residential zoning to back when the current Prime Minister was the mayor of
- One-upping Greeks; Greco-Turkish competition has bordered on enmity at worst and rivalry at best, and with wildfires in Athens just two weeks prior,
1 comment:
then again i'd like to remind you that the name of the overflowing river was ayamama or (drumroll please!) to spell it in a more proper way HAGIOS MAMAS!!!!
greek meddling is unmistakable!! :)
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