Flood-hit areas call for more aid

By Cat Contiguglia and Klára Jiřičná

Staff Writers

A month after flooding hit the Ústí and Liberec regions, Liberec officials have estimated damages to be far costlier than calculated by the national government, and say funding schemes will leave them without enough money to rebuild and repair local infrastructure.

Liberec regional officials released damage estimates in their region that exceeded 8 billion Kč ($421.7 million) Sept. 13, while the latest federal figures, released at a press conference in August, put the total cost of damage for both regions at 6.5 billion Kč.

At that same time, the government pledged 665 million Kč from the budget reserves for the repair of transport infrastructure - but that money can only be used for Class 1 roads and highways. A request from mayors throughout the Liberec region for 3.2 billion Kč to repair regional infrastructure was rejected.

"Rejection of the proposal by Transport Minister Vít Bárta in effect means that it will not be possible to draw from the State Transport Infrastructure Fund [SFDI], and so significant delays in the reconstruction of destroyed roads and bridges will occur," Stanislav Eichler, vice president of the Council of the Association of Regions, said at a press conference.

Eichler said that without money from the national government, the only way to fund repairs is through subsidies from the Regional Development Ministry, which requires the region to match any funds it receives.

"Roads are in a catastrophic condition," Michael Canov, mayor of the town of Chrastava, told The Prague Post. "The main roads are devastated, and traffic has been stopped for weeks. ... There are craters in the roads, and we've temporarily laid gravel on the streets, which doesn't last long, so we have to replace it over and over again."

He added that the opening of a school had been delayed by two weeks because there were no bridges to reach the building. The town eventually constructed three temporary bridges.

The Transport Ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Since the August floods, the national government has dispensed 80 million Kč in immediate relief, 40 million Kč each for the Ústí and Liberec regions. The 665 million Kč for transport infrastructure for both regions followed.

The government met with officials from Germany and Poland - which were also hit by floods - Sept. 15 to plan a joint request for monetary assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund, which requires any application to have total damages exceeding 21 billion Kč.

Officials have said the situation in both the Ústí and Liberec regions is stable, and soldiers deployed to the area were completely withdrawn Sept. 14, according to a spokesman for the Defense Ministry.

"The majority of the area that was affected by flooding is quite OK now," said Igor Klimeš, the head of flood teams for the NGO People in Need (Člověk v tísni).

Damaged homes are being repaired or rebuilt with loans from the State Housing Development Fund, which provides credit to cover repairs or even the price of a new home. People in Need is also working to provide some 30 million Kč in funding for damaged homes and are conducting interviews with affected residents to determine those in most immediate need.

Damage to agricultural property totals between 40 million and 50 million Kč, according to Tereza Magdalena Dvořáčková, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture Ministry. Farms on state-owned land will receive funding from the State Land Fund for clearing and cleaning expenses, and the land fund will make purchasing state land in certain areas easier, so that people in flood-prone areas can sell or exchange their land for land in better areas.

Compensation for damages will be granted upon receiving EU funding, Dvořáčková said.

However, worries about longer-term consequences of the flooding remain. The integrity of remaining homes and even those that have been rebuilt is problematic. The biggest problem during the recovery, according to Klimeš, is people who are overeager to rebuild their homes and hire construction companies that go forward with work despite issues with water damage.

"These houses were affected by huge amounts of water, and you have to wait until all the water dries out before you can start with reasonable repairs," Klimeš said. "If the house is still wet ... you risk that the work will have to be repeated because the walls will have mold."

The same impatience to rebuild has also led to bad loans being given out, a problem local and regional governments have been working to address with warnings on television and even a financial literacy program out of the Liberec Labor Office.

There is also concern about rising unemployment in areas where businesses were damaged. Canov said in his town the Škoda Auto supplier Grupo Antolin Bohemia had to close production for a week, causing Škoda to stop manufacturing several models. Canov said there were worries that the Spanish supplier would pull out of the area, leaving 500 unemployed. He added that some smaller businesses had also shut down their operations.

Vladimír Matula, a real estate agent in Frýdlant, another Liberec region town severely affected by the floods, said there was no state aid for entrepreneurs.

"I had to use my savings, which was possible because I have been working for 18 years," he said. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing optimistic I can say in my situation."

The writers can be reached at:news@praguepost.com