The February 6 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria caused an estimated $5.1 billion in direct physical damages in Syria, a World Bank report has said.
“The current value of the damaged and destroyed capital stock is estimated at about 10 per cent of gross domestic product,” said the World Bank.
The report, titled Syria Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimation (Grade), was released on Friday.
“These losses compound years of destruction, suffering and hardship the people of Syria have been enduring,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank Country Director for the Middle East Department.
“The disaster will cause a decline in economic activity that will further weigh on Syria’s growth prospects.”
The widespread damages affected four provinces, where about 10 million Syrians live.
“Reflecting a significant degree of uncertainty around this preliminary assessment, estimates of the total direct damages using replacement costs range between $2.7 and $7.9 billion,” the report said.
The report does not cover broader economic effects and losses for the Syrian economy, such as production or business interruption, loss of income, cost for temporary housing and demolition costs; these require a more in-depth assessment.
Aleppo was the most severely hit governorate with 45 per cent of the estimated damages valued at $2.3 billion followed by Idlib with 37 per cent ($1.9 billion) and Lattakia with 11 per cent ($549 million), the report said.
The subsequent earthquake on February 20 caused additional damage to the border regions in Lattakia, Idlib, Hama and Aleppo, with Idlib and Lattakia the worst affected. Continued aftershocks are also likely to add to these damage estimates over time.
Direct damages to residential buildings account for nearly half (48.5 per cent) of total damages, estimated at $2.5 billion, while damages in non-residential buildings account for a third (33.5 per cent) of the total impact, estimated at $1.7 billion.
Infrastructure damages account for 18 per cent of total damages, estimated at $0.9 billion. This includes transport, critical power and water infrastructure, and information and communications technology, the report said.
The damage estimates to the residential and non-residential sectors include direct damages to all buildings and structures, including cultural heritage sites in Aleppo, Margat and Kobani.
The World Bank said it has also started a Syria rapid damage and needs assessment, which will provide a more detailed sector by sector assessment and include estimates of economic losses and recovery needs.
On February 27, the lender made an assessment of the physical damages caused by the earthquakes in Turkey using the Grade methodology, estimating damage worth more than $34 billion in the country.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
