Container homes for earthquake victims: STRABAG and ÖBB Rail Cargo Group get aid on track

• Two Austrian companies join forces to help earthquake victims in the affected region
• Delivery and installation of container village in Turkey
• Living space for 30 families

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- STRABAG SE, Austria's largest construction company, and ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, Europe's leading rail logistics provider, are pooling their resources to provide housing for people affected by February's earthquakes in Adıyaman Province of southeastern Turkey. One month later, the situation in the region remains extremely critical. After the quakes Adıyaman is now also affected by the heavy rains and floods of the last days. Several million people are in urgent need of housing, food, medicine and hygiene products. One of the biggest challenges is getting the supplies to where they are needed.

"After the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, it was immediately clear that we had to help. Just a few days after the terrible events, we were able to deliver 2,000 winter jackets to the disaster area and a short while later set up a special fund for employees who have relatives affected by the quake. The fund will temporarily cover expenses such as rental costs and housing for the families," says Klemens Haselsteiner, CEO of STRABAG. "But it was also important for us to organise direct relief measures as quickly as possible. Together with Rail Cargo Group, we then came up with the idea to deliver and set up a container village in the region."

Container village: temporary homes in the disaster area

STRABAG and Rail Cargo Group have teamed up to build a container village providing a temporary home for around 30 families in the region. A special train from Rail Cargo Group will deliver the 30 STRABAG site cabins along with three sanitary containers to Turkey. According to Turkish authorities, this is the largest container delivery for the Adıyaman region from abroad. Other supplies, such as furniture and urgently needed hygiene articles, are also on board the train. The containers will be set up in the municipality of Gölbaşı as living space for people left homeless by the devastating earthquakes.

Two STRABAG employees will coordinate and accompany the installation of the container homes and their connection to the local infrastructure.

In the presence of the Turkish Ambassadors in Austria and Slovakia, Ozan Cevhun and Yunus Demirer as well as Klemens Haselsteiner and Imre Kovács the containers were seen off in Bratislava.

The container homes are scheduled to be ready for occupancy approximately two weeks after the container's arrival and will be occupied for at least one year until newly constructed housing is available in the region.

STRABAG SE is a European-based technology group for construction services, a leader in innovation and financial strength. Our activities span all areas of the construction industry and cover the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our clients by taking an end-to-end view of construction over the entire life cycle – from planning and design to construction, operation and facility management to redevelopment or demolition. In all of our work, we accept responsibility for people and the environment: We are shaping the future of construction and are making significant investments in our portfolio of more than 250 innovation and 400 sustainability projects. Through the hard work and dedication of our approximately 74,000 employees, we generate an annual output volume of around € 16 billion. Our dense network of subsidiaries in various European countries and on other continents extends our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. Working together with strong partners, we are pursuing a clear goal: to design, build and operate construction projects in a way that protects the climate and conserves resources. More information is available at www.strabag.com.

Rail Cargo Group
As a leading rail logistics company in Europe, we are shaping the industry. 365 days a year – 24 hours a day. Across Europe and beyond into Asia. We connect people, businesses and markets – from the first to the last mile. We are present in 18 countries worldwide. It's thanks to our 5,755 logistics professionals from 34 nations that 463,000 trains a year, respectively 1,270 a day, reach their destinations safe and sound. With our efficient end-to-end logistics services, we transport 94 million net tonnes of freight each year. A modal share of 28% (preliminary value) of the total freight market in Austria makes us top of the league in Europe. Operational management of the Rail Cargo Group lies with Rail Cargo Austria AG.  

 - Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) -

Contact 

STRABAG SE
Isabella Nutz
Spokesperson
Tel.: +43 1 22422 1617
[email protected]

Rail Cargo Group
Maria Magdalena Pavitsich, MA
ÖBB-Holding AG,
Spokesperson
Tel.: +43 1 93000 32233
[email protected]
www.oebb.at