PM Orders the Evacuation of 5000 Alexandrian Homes

The situation in Alexandria remains dire, as on Wednesday Prime Minister Sherif Ismail issued a decree ordering citizens to evacuate 5,000 Alexandria homes.

It is no secret that Alexandria’s infrastructure is collapsing, especially in light of the devastating floods currently paralysing the Mediterranean city. Three residential buildings have collapsed in just over three days, claiming the lives of many.

In an effort to avoid further deaths, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has ordered the evacuation of 5,000 Alexandrian homes that are either over 100 years old or are identified as structurally vulnerable. According to the decree, residents affected will be provided with accommodations in “available lands;” however, the exact locations haven't been disclosed.

The evacuation hasn’t been declared as permanent. However, prior to allowing residents to return, an engineering committee will inspect all of the evacuated homes to identify whether they can be renovated or if they need to be demolished. On Sunday, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail announced that the state would allocate LE 75 million to repair Alexandria’s ailing rain drainage system.

At the heart of the issue is the fact that infrastructure in Alexandria has been largely ignored for over a decade. The governor of Alexandria resigned at the end of October mentioning that he alerted the cabinet of Alexandria's serious infrastructure concerns ahead of the ecological disaster. Coupled with the fact that many buildings were constructed without proper permits, the recent floods have exposed that thousands of homes in Alexandria are uninhabitable.