Heavy rains flood Istanbul

City authorities issued a flood alert over the weekend and decided to evacuate about 200 houses in the region, but some residents refused to leave. Rescuers helped hundreds of people leave endangered homes. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that the heavy rains had paralyzed daily life in the city. “Since we already took the necessary measures, we’ve quickly overcome problems,” said Erdogan, a former Istanbul mayor. Noting that the government had earlier issued warnings about the rain, Erdogan said that Turkey’s infrastructure was dangerously insufficient and needed to be upgraded as soon as possible. Istanbul Major Kadit Topbas also said that the government was determined to expropriate illegal constructions in the region which are under water.