Strong Winds in Karkop Have Blown Off Roofs, Rainwater Has Flooded Homes, Says Resident

In the village of Karkop, Lori Province, strong winds yesterday partially blew off roofs of houses and animal shelters. This was reported today, June 21, by 63-year-old resident Gagik Siradeghyan in an interview with NEWS.am, who noted that after the roofs were blown off, heavy rain flooded their home.

"We have been taking out water from the house with buckets. After the flooding, the walls of the house cracked and became damp; yesterday, the ceiling also cracked. Now the house has become even more damp," he stated, adding that the house has deteriorated after the flooding.

When asked if the gardens were also damaged, Gagik Siradeghyan replied, "After the flooding, nothing is left in the garden, only stones remain. We used to grow everything in that garden. We would collect tons of figs, blackberries, kiwis, and grapes. We built this house with the money we earned from that garden. This year, we were supposed to harvest more than last year, but that did not work out."

The Siradeghyan family’s house is located closest to the river in the village, and they fear that a disaster may occur again; however, they do not want to leave their ancestral home. "It has been years of hardship; how could we just leave?" they said.

According to Gagik Siradeghyan, although the Debed River overflowed again after yesterday's rain, the riverbed has widened so much due to the flooding that, even with high water, it is unlikely to flood the village. "The village will only flood if heavy rain lasts for several days," he added.