Türkiye regulations · 17 October 2026
Istanbul flood response focuses on damage assessments and drainage infrastructure
Minister Kurum said damage assessments following Istanbul’s flooding were targeted for completion by the weekend and called on municipalities to strengthen drainage and reassess flood risks.
Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum chaired a disaster coordination meeting following flooding in Istanbul, according to the ministry’s announcement dated 16 October 2026. Rescue operations, damage assessments, continuing rainfall warnings and urban disaster preparedness were central to the statement. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/bakan-kurum-sel-felaketinin-yasandigi-istanbul-da-306984)
Rescue operations and infrastructure damage
Kurum reported that three people had died in Istanbul and that searches for missing people continued without interruption. According to figures he provided, 3,057 people were rescued and moved to safe areas. The city experienced 48 landslides, while heavy rainfall caused 53 retaining walls to collapse. Participants reviewed the flooding’s causes, consequences and effects on residents, and discussed the next steps. Kurum also said some evacuated residents were being accommodated in guesthouses. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/bakan-kurum-sel-felaketinin-yasandigi-istanbul-da-306984)
Official source: Republic of Türkiye — Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ↗Weekend target for damage assessments
The minister said damage assessments had covered 300 businesses and 200 vehicles in Ayazağa alone, with completion of the assessment work targeted for the weekend. This was an announced timetable objective, rather than confirmation that the work had finished. Kurum also said state support would be provided for identified damage to homes and buildings. He added that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was conducting assessments of farmers’ losses. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/bakan-kurum-sel-felaketinin-yasandigi-istanbul-da-306984)
Official source: Republic of Türkiye — Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ↗Transport, electricity and rainfall warnings
According to the announcement, six routes across Eyüpsultan, Sarıyer and Şile were closed to traffic, with work continuing to reopen them. Kurum said precautionary power cuts affected approximately 40,000 people. He reported that Istanbul remained under a yellow weather warning, with further rainfall expected across the city on Saturday. Citing orange warnings for Zonguldak and Düzce for the following day, he urged residents to avoid leaving home unless necessary and to communicate their needs to district authorities or municipalities. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/bakan-kurum-sel-felaketinin-yasandigi-istanbul-da-306984)
Official source: Republic of Türkiye — Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ↗Call for drainage improvements and watercourse maintenance
Kurum called on municipalities to clear stream beds, regularly maintain river improvement works, strengthen stormwater drainage systems and reassess flood risks. He stressed that urban planning should account for more severe weather events that could occur in the future. He said the meeting addressed channel cross-sections and river improvement works in Ayazağa and Cendere. These statements were presented as a call for cooperation between central government, local authorities and the scientific community; the article did not announce the entry into force of new legislation. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/bakan-kurum-sel-felaketinin-yasandigi-istanbul-da-306984)
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