Gladys Terichow
Thousands of people in communities along
the Danube River and its tributaries in Serbia were forced out of their
homes in April because of flooding.
State of Emergency
A state of emergency was declared in about 10 municipalities and in some areas water damaged houses, farmland and infrastructure, according to Amela Puljek-Shank, an MCC regional co-representative in Serbia, in a telephone interview today.
MCC is working with a local Serbian partner, Bread of Life, to provide support for flood relief efforts in the capital city of Belgrade, a city of 10.5 million.
The assistance, which has not yet been finalized, is expected to include $10,000 U.S. for the purchase of pumps to drain water from houses submerged in flood water as well as a container of blankets, canned meat and relief kits for underprivileged families evacuated from their homes or affected by the floods.
Who receives the support?
People receiving this support will include refugees from Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia as well as the elderly, people with disabilities and the Roma population, explained Puljek-Shank.
These families, she said, were among thousands of people evacuated from their homes when the Danube reached flood levels not seen here since 1895. Puljek-Shenk anticipates most houses will require extensive repairs and evacuees will not be able to move back to their homes until July or August.
Flood conditions
Flooding risks from the Danube, which flows from Germany and Austria through the Balkans to the Black Sea, subsided in May but the situation remains volatile because the river could breach dikes and other flood control structures weakened by prolonged water pressure.
Flooding in the Balkans last year killed dozens of people, flooded farmland and destroyed houses and infrastructure. Some of these same communities were flooded again this year.
Gladys Terichow is a writer for Mennonite Central Committee