Brno Team in action: Romani volunteers aid flood victims in Moravia (Czech Republic)
Brno Team (Brno tým), an informal group of Romani residents of Brno that has long provided aid in crisis situations, is currently concentrating on assisting the people affected by the recent flooding which has seriously impacted the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc Regions of the Czech Republic. The group of volunteers led by Jožka Daniel has already visited several locales impacted by the floods and is preparing to visit more.
Daniel posted a call to Facebook on Sunday for people who need aid to contact him. “There was a big reaction to our Facebook call. About 20 individuals contacted us who need assistance. Currently we’re handling their requests in order, it’s not possible to do everything at once,” Daniel told news server Romea.cz, adding that volunteers are actively involved in providing help. “Many people from the community are joining us and everybody is satisfied,” he said.
Thousands of people have been impacted by the flooding and their basic needs are almost identical. “The needs of everybody after a flood are almost the same – bottled water, food to eat immediately, clothing, shoes,” Daniel said when asked to describe the situation Brno Team is encountering in the affected areas. Although the situation has started to calm down, many people still remain without basic resources and are waiting for aid.
Collaboration with local authorities and spontaneous aid
Brno Team is not organizing aid delivery in general but is responding to the calls they receive. “On the first day we called the Regional Authority, where they registered us as volunteers, including for the crisis team,” Daniel explains. Brno Team is also collaborating with the city and with other organizations so they can be deployed where assistance is most needed.
“Yesterday we were in Ostrava, where René Baláž called us to come aid our Romani residents who were evacuated. We brought them food and clothing,” Daniel describes. “At Caritas in Ostrava there are about 60 of them and in the school gymnasium there are approximately 160 people. We were glad we could assist,” Daniel explains to news server Romea.cz, adding that help needs to be fast and immediate.
Brno Team is constantly ready and waiting for further calls to action. “Currently we are waiting for them to open Krnov and Jeseník so we can go there. There is a big lack of potable water there, and there will be a need for food that can be eaten immediately because there is nowhere to cook,” Daniel says.
The team works day and night, and as Daniel reminded Romea.cz, being on alert is nothing new for Brno Team. “We were ready to go in the case of the Romani refugees from Ukraine and also after the tornado in Moravia,” he recalls.
Flooding has caused damage in the billions of Czech crowns
According to reports from the authorities and the media, the damage caused by the floods in the Moravian-Silesian Region is enormous. Regional Governor Josef Bělica (Association of Dissatisfied Citizens – ANO) estimates that the damages could amount to tens of billions of Czech crowns. The Mayor of Opava, Tomáš Navrátil (ANO), also spoke of damages to that city in the billions of Czech crowns – for example, the bridge on Ratibořská Street will have to be rebuilt, as the flood has destroyed it.
In Ostrava, work has begun on cleaning up in the aftermath of the flood. The city is distributing high-volume containers to collect the garbage, increasing the capacity of the scrapyards and extending their hours of operation. However, many households in the city are still without heat or hot water, which is a consequence of the flooding of the power plant in Třebovice. At the time of writing it was not clear when the power would be restored.
In the Jeseník and Krnov areas, where Brno Team is also planning to deliver aid, there is still a lack of potable water and local residents are still trying to meet their basic needs. In many places including Karlovice in the Bruntál area, where the water tore down several bridges and buildings, long-term assistance is anticipated. The first volunteers have already arrived in Karlovice to help clean up the damage from the flooding.
Free, voluntary vaccinations against hepatitis A are also being prepared in the afflicted areas. The Regional Public Health Office is planning to test the wells and local authorities are arranging for the delivery of medicines.
