In the first phase of aid, non-profit organisations in the Czech Republic will distribute CZK 200 million from their fundraising among 3,800 households affected by the floods that hit the Czech Republic in mid-September, the NGOs’ representatives announced today.
Each household that was flooded will receive CZK 50,000 for basic necessities, while the rest will be distributed to the most affected. The financial aid payments will start being paid out from today. The charities Adra, Czech Red Cross, People in Need, Diakonie CCE and Charity of the Czech Republic, have agreed on a joint procedure for the distribution.
About half a billion crowns have been collected in their public fundraising campaigns.
People hit by the floods were also able to draw a one-off benefit of immediate aid from the state, up to CZK 72,900. The state paid out CZK 50 million in aid in the first week.
The money from the NGOs’ collections goes to the families who were visited by field teams in recent weeks to assess the level of damage to their homes and the social and economic situation of the household. The organisations have divided up the territory, and also agreed that the distribution of aid will be coordinated and recipients will get the same amount.
“At least hundreds to thousands more households will need some additional help,” added Jakub Licka from the Charity of the Czech Republic.
The teams will therefore return to the most affected households for further surveys, after which the organisations will contribute tens to hundreds of thousands of crowns more in aid. They will also continue to provide psychological assistance and help with the processing of state benefits.
The organisations will wait for the time being to pay out more money. “We don’t want to rush it, we want to wait to see what the state does,” said People in Need director Jan Mrkvicka.
He recalled that after the tornado, there were interest-free loans of millions of crowns available for home repairs.
However, some people will not be able to rebuild their homes in the same place, so it will take longer to get help. “We are committed to stay with them until the situation is resolved. It could take years,” Mrkvicka added.
The widespread and devastating floods in mid-September hit the Moravia-Silesia Region and the north of the Olomouc region particularly hard. According to the organisations, there are 2,300 households in the Moravia-Silesia Region that will be supported with CZK 50,000 each, and about 1,500 more in the Olomouc and Zlin regions. Mrkvicka said the numbers may not be final, as the teams continue to operate in the areas.
NGOs have transported more than 30 trucks of food, 250,000 litres of drinking water, over 35,000 litres of disinfectants and other material aid worth more than CZK 44 million to the affected areas. More than 700 staff and 2,700 volunteers were involved.
