Türkiye regulations · 17 October 2026
Ayazağa flood response: Search continues as shelter transfers are planned
The ministry’s 16 October announcement says missing people are being sought under AFAD coordination in Ayazağa. Minister Kurum said residents of buildings requiring evacuation would be moved to shelter areas.
Search operations for missing people and efforts to meet food and water needs are being coordinated by AFAD in flood-affected Ayazağa, in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district. According to the environment ministry’s announcement dated 16 October 2026, Minister Murat Kurum briefed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by telephone after inspecting the area. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-istanbul-daki-sel-felaketi-ile-ilgili-bakan-kurum-dan-bilgi-aldi-306991)
Telephone briefing follows local inspections
The ministry described Ayazağa as one of the places most affected by the flooding in Istanbul. It said Kurum inspected the area before calling Erdoğan to report on the situation. The published account focused on searches for missing residents, basic supplies and accommodation for people living in buildings that need to be evacuated. It conveyed these developments through Kurum’s briefing to the president, without providing a numerical assessment of damage across Istanbul. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-istanbul-daki-sel-felaketi-ile-ilgili-bakan-kurum-dan-bilgi-aldi-306991)
Official source: Republic of Türkiye — Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ↗Search operations and essential supplies
Kurum said missing people were being sought under AFAD coordination. He also reported that efforts to meet residents’ food and water needs were being coordinated by the same agency. His statement that there was no urgent difficulty at that moment was presented as his assessment during the conversation. The announcement gives no number of missing people, search results or quantities of supplies delivered. It therefore does not establish that missing residents have been found or that the response has ended. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-istanbul-daki-sel-felaketi-ile-ilgili-bakan-kurum-dan-bilgi-aldi-306991)
Official source: Republic of Türkiye — Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ↗Shelter transfers remain a planned step
Kurum said residents staying in buildings that need to be evacuated would be taken to shelter areas. His statement describes an intended action rather than a completed evacuation or relocation. The report does not identify the buildings, the number of residents concerned, shelter locations or a timetable for completing transfers. It is consequently not a detailed evacuation guide providing addresses or application instructions for residents; it communicates the planned approach to accommodation. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-istanbul-daki-sel-felaketi-ile-ilgili-bakan-kurum-dan-bilgi-aldi-306991)
Official source: Republic of Türkiye — Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change ↗President addresses affected residents
Erdoğan expressed sympathy for residents affected by the flood. He said ministers and the governor were in the disaster area and that work was continuing. Kurum also said he and his colleagues were monitoring the situation locally. The announcement is limited to the response and officials’ statements: it provides no technical assessment of the flood’s cause, total damage estimate or new legislative decision. The accommodation statement should therefore not be presented as a new general legal obligation. [Source](https://csb.gov.tr/haberler/cumhurbaskani-erdogan-istanbul-daki-sel-felaketi-ile-ilgili-bakan-kurum-dan-bilgi-aldi-306991)
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