Czech Floods 2024: We are helping people in the affected areas
Published: Sep 14, 2024 Reading time: 2 minutesThroughout the Czech Republic have activated our flood team in flood-affected regions, including in Olomouc and Jeseník, where we have permanent offices. We have over thirty colleagues trained in helping people affected by extraordinary weather events, in providing social counselling, and in crisis intervention. We can quickly increase their capacity up to a hundred people if needed.
"We are currently assessing the needs with mayors and crisis teams. In agreement with the Fire Rescue Service, we sent 15,000 sandbags for the construction of flood barriers to Olomouc , which have already arrived in Šumperk and Jeseník. We expect to continue delivering material aid as needed," says Marek Štys, head of the flood team.
We are in communication with the integrated rescue system and regional and municipal fire brigades and coordinate with other humanitarian organisations.
We will adapt our support to the needs of the current situation. We have many years of experience with flood programmes in 1997, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2013, as well as with operations after the devastating tornado in Moravia in 2021. In natural disasters, usually:
In the first weeks, we provide urgent material assistance to affected households in coordination with municipalities and crisis teams.
- When the water recedes, we map the needs in the affected regions, visit individual households, and focus on helping particularly vulnerable groups, such as people without relatives, without savings, seniors or single parents.
- We provide affected people with psychosocial support and advise them on handling the necessary administration and home repairs. We operate on-site even years after the disaster until the residents of the flooded areas return to normal life.
- In the long term, we also focus on disaster prevention, spatial planning, anti-flood measures, increasing the ability of the landscape to retain water and climate resistance.
We have not organised a material collection for appliances, furniture, clothes, or food. We are using pre-stored supplies for food aid. Our support is being delivered by trained professionals, not volunteers.
Recommendations and more information
Read our booklet We live in a floodplain, which describes how to prepare for a flood, what to do in the danger phase and lots of advice on restoring washed-out properties.
Follow the basic recommendations of the Fire and Rescue Service on how to behave during floods and how to prepare for them.
Follow reliable sources: CT24 news , ČHMÚ flood forecasting service or Mapy.cz.
We recommend that you consult the offer of material aid with the crisis teams of municipalities and regions and not take it to the affected places "blindly", especially during the period of ongoing flood danger.
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