ACT Appeal: Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - Assistance to Flood Victims EUCS-21 (Rev.1)

Appeal Target: US$ 2,617,236
Balance Requested from ACT Network: US$ 1,620,561

Geneva, 18 September 2002

Dear Colleagues,

The Czech Republic continues to struggle against the aftermath of the devastating floods that have been affecting the region for weeks, leaving deep scars on the country's infrastructure. The affected population of Czech Republic is slowly recovering while continuing joint endeavours to accommodate the homeless and serve the most vulnerable categories of population.

Through this revision of EUCS-21 Appeal, the joint ACT operation in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary will gain additional support from ACT members The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) and the Czechoslovak Hussite Church (CCSH). They have been actively responding to the emergency from the beginning and are now seeking additional financial support to undertake the following humanitarian projects:

• Drying and cleaning of private homes
• Psycho-social assistance
• Food and non-food distribution
• Temporary shelter and reconstruction

For the sake of brevity, this revision includes only the proposals by ECCB and CCSH. For program information of other ACT members involved in the counter-flood program, please refer to the original ACT appeal EUCS-21.

Project Completion Date:

HIA/SD - 28 February 2003

OCCL - 28 February 2003

ECCB - June 2003

CCSH - 31 March 2003

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested

Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account:

Account Number - 240-432629.60A (USD)
Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together
UBS SA
PO Box 2600
1211 Geneva 2
SWITZERLAND

Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (direct tel. +4122/791.60.38, e-mail address jkg@act-intl.org) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal.

We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org

John Nduna
Acting Director ACT

ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response.

The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.

I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER INFORMATION

• The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB)
• Ceskobratrska cirkev evangelicka (CCE)

II. IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORMATION

The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB) is the largest Protestant church in the Czech Republic, originating in the Czech Reformation and uniting in 1918. Today the ECCB has about 125,000 members in about 260 congregations. The ECCB is a member church of the WCC since 1948. An important and integral part of the life and witness of the ECCB is the social / diaconical work.

Description of ACT Member's Implementing Partners

Diaconia (ECCB) established in 1989 is a Christian charity organisation which, as well as providing pastoral and spiritual guidance, is committed to serving and helping people in need. Its activities include service to the elderly and those with long-term illnesses; assistance to those who cannot manage alone as well as help to families who are looking after dependent family members; care for children deserted by their parents and young people with various afflictions; assistance to those living in difficult social circumstances.

ECCB is organisationally broken down into individual centres (29) and the main headquarters. The headquarters assist the individual centres by providing organisational, co-ordinating and service assistance as well as protecting the interest of the Diaconia in co-operation with state and municipal government authorities, and with partner organisations.

III. DESCRIPTION of the EMERGENCY SITUATION

The disastrous flooding started 7 August in Southern Bohemia. From the very first day the ECCB Diaconia became involved in helping the affected people. From the beginning ECCB Diaconia was in touch with the regional and local crisis' operation staff workers in the Czech Republic Integral Emergency System; ECCB Diaconia mobilised its centres, organised its volunteers into teams for the ADRA humanitarian organisation which started the first phase of damage clearance.

As the flood waters continued to rise it became clear that these were the most disastrous floods for 150 years. The floods gradually reached western, central and northern Bohemia in the basin of the rivers Vltava, Berounka, Ohre, Luznice, and their tributaries later affecting the river Labe.

Impact on Human Lives

99 towns with 263, 000 inhabitants were completely flooded. 406 towns and villages with 1,6 million inhabitants were partly flooded. 16 persons lost their lives and 220,000 inhabitants were evacuated.

7.1% of all villages and towns in Czech Republic were affected and 15,6% of the population of the Czech Republic was directly or indirectly affected by the floods.

The post-trauma impact on the affected people is already visible with those who lost their homes and psychologists are warning that the figure of those who would need the psycho-social assistance will grow.

Description of Damages

Final damage statistics are not yet available, but it is certain that many thousands of family houses were damaged along with many schools and churches etc. A preliminary estimate of the damages is around US$ 3-milliard.

Locations for Proposed Response

• Czech Republic - South, Middle and Northern part of Bohemia. Communities yet to be determined.

Diaconia ECCB has established ten bases with regional out-reach for the volunteers to work from. Co-operation with other organisations in the targeted locations is described below.

Current Security Situation

The operations (first phase of the disaster) carried out by the army, firemen and other units of the Integrated Rescue System were effective and viewed positively by the majority of the population. Also the level of communication and information to the inhabitants was good - this was one of the main reasons the death toll was not much higher.

As the crises operations continue with removal of debris, the cleaning and drying processes it is obvious that the need is far beyond that which the local and governmental authorities are able to provide. The assistance of humanitarian organisations is needed urgently.

At present the security is threatened by:

• Risk of infections: in the Czech Republic there were not enough supplies of the Hepatitis vaccination. Consequently, not all volunteers received the vaccination and those who did only after intensive negotiations with the Ministry of Health Care and regional hygiene departments which prefer to provide vaccinations to professional bodies rather than voluntary humanitarian organisations.
  
  
• One of the volunteers' bases is based in a village located in close proximity to the chemical plant leaking dangerous chemical materials. In this respect the close co-operation with the professional rescue teams is necessary.

IV. GOAL & OBJECTIVES

The main goal of ECCB is to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups (the elderly, handicapped, families with children and socially weak persons) affected by the floods and enable them to cope better with the aftermath of the disaster and losing their homes and possessions.

Objectives:

1. Assistance in cleaning and drying houses or flats

2. Support in overcoming their post-trauma by psycho-social help

3. Supporting people with housing problems

The present activities of Diaconia ECCB related to the floods

The Co-ordination Centre was created at the ECCB Diaconia headquarters in Prague, where the staff members, together with the volunteers, are working. The ECCB Diaconia, in co-operation with the Commission of Synod Council for Humanitarian Assistance, organises help in the following activities:

Organising volunteers

In co-operation with the youth department of ECCB, young people were addressed via the Internet, phone and mass-media. ECCB is creating a database of volunteers who are sent out to various operations organised by ECCB Diaconia or partner organisations. The Co-ordination Centre also addressed all ECCB congregations in the districts affected by floods as well as other ECCB centres and appealed to them for co-operation.

In the period 8 - 28 August the overall number of volunteers co-ordinated by Diaconia ECCB in flooded areas was almost 900 people including 20 psycho-social workers and 60 Diaconia ECCB workers.

The ECCB centres and several local churches located directly in flood areas or close to these areas were transformed into bases for organising help to the surrounding areas. The centres provide the volunteers with accommodation and other needs while assisting the local population. In some cases the centres have provided temporary accommodation for evacuated persons.

The volunteers tasks are mainly to participate in the process of clearing up the debris and mud from the flooded areas/buildings and any other support required including distribution of relief materials. The relief items are either collected at the place of donation or bought if necessary. Certain materials are also available at the Prague Centre. The groups are lead by experienced pastors who have good organisational skills and experience with youth work. The concrete work activities of the teams are directed by experienced instructors who have participated in previous flood rescues in Moravia or in Eastern Bohemia.

The bases operate approximately one to four weeks with volunteers offering their services for 4-5 days. Some will stay for longer periods - according to availability and needs.

Location of bases for teams: Praha - 2 centres - in Pisek and Sobeslav have already been closed and the supplies and any technology moved to newly opened places in the north of Bohemia - Ustek and Libis.

The clearing and cleaning operations are just being completed and the teams are carrying out the drying. As there is an urgent need of all kind of dryers, Diaconia ECCB together with the flood commission of ECCB decided to buy 50 dryers. However, the existing supplies of drying equipment in the Czech Republic is not sufficient and donations of drying equipment would be appreciated.

Volunteers are also directed to various locations in the field. Beside the above-mentioned ADRA humanitarian agency, which operates mainly in Southern Bohemia, volunteers are directed to the field at the requests of various local crisis operation staff in the various municipalities and institutions. The biggest partner in this field is the crisis operations staff of the City Council of Prague. ECCB Diaconia also co-operates with other churches and sister organisations, Czech Catholic Caritas, YMCA, Scout Organization Junak, voluntary fire fighters, etc.

Material help

The ECCB Diakonia is not widely involved in collecting, transport and distribution of material relief for people affected by floods - that task has been left to larger humanitarian organisations, working in the same areas - the Czech Red Cross, Czech Catholic Caritas, and others. However, the ECCB Diaconia has not refused to obtain and distribute items to individual cases when requested. ECCB Diaconia is also trying to assist with material help in cases where assistance is not possible from elsewhere. In the field of material help, the ECCB Diaconia concentrates on supplying volunteers organised by the Prague Co-ordination Centre.

Psychosocial help

The workers from the Co-ordination Centre, together with specialists from the local SOS Diakonia centre in Prague sent its trained specialists out together with ADRA teams or with volunteers sent out from the Diakonia bases. Besides working with those people traumatised after the flooding and loss of their homes, the psycho-social teams are also helping the helpers. Taking into account that the groups of volunteers consist mainly of young people, pastoral workers are sent out with them to help with any counselling or therapy that the volunteers themselves may need. In addition, the Prague Diaconia SOS Centre has a help phone line.

Post-floods assistance

Having previous flood experience ECCB, together with other churches and NGO partners, wants to focus its attention also on helping the individuals. There are many families or individuals who have lost their homes or whose furniture and possessions have been destroyed. The insurance companies (if the property has been insured at all) cannot cover all the damages. Furthermore, state grants are not nearly high enough to compensate for the losses. However, monitoring the situation of individuals demands enormous efforts of many volunteers and effective co-ordination with other organisations. The co-operation with the Catholic Caritas and other church organisations proved to be good in previous floods. Besides other things, there is co-operation in using the same methodology in approaching and interviewing people, processing standardised forms for damages monitoring and also negotiating together with local authorities during the process of verifying the social situation of affected families.

The workers of the Co-ordination Centre seek volunteers who will commit themselves to monitoring damages and processing indemnity requirements. All will be trained for effective processing of information and for communication with people in post-traumatic state.

In the preliminary negotiations there were 4 partners who agreed on a common procedure: the Foundation People in Need (established by Czech TV), ADRA, Catholic Caritas and Diaconia ECCB.

The ECCB Diaconia Co-ordination Centre serves also as an information centre which communicates with other crisis operation teams from partner organisations, mediates for help where is it necessary and provides information about availability of volunteers, material supplies, equipment, accommodation for evacuated people etc. The team also communicates with mass-media and prepares the bases for fund-raising in the Czech republic and abroad.

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