Flood victims await state aid
Local emergency authorities in the Drenas municipality are verifying the damage from the floods and are providing humanitarian aid packages to the affected families as much as possible. So far, 247 requests for damage assessments have been submitted.
Within less than an hour, the floods damaged everything for one of the 131 families inundated by the floods, the Xhekaj family, which was left with only a roof over their heads, while all living conditions had to be rebuilt from scratch.
"The floods were so large and rapid within an hour, in less than an hour the water level was more than a meter deep, which made it impossible for us to save anything," Muhamet Xhekaj, a resident of Drenas, told RTK.
"We are a country with an average economy, now you see that everything has been destroyed. To get back on track, we need as many years as we have spent so far," he said.
"Some suffered more and some less from the floods, however, the support of institutions is hope," says a head of household of another family flooded by the floods.
"The damage is from the first floor, which was completely submerged in water, the rest of the things that had food on them were completely washed away, and we expect social services to take measures to take this into account," said Emin Morina, a resident of Drenas.
Municipal officials from Drenas are on the ground to assess the damage caused by the floods, hoping that the cooperation between local and central governments will at least mitigate the damage caused by the floods.
"Of the requests we have received so far from citizens, we have 247 requests for damage assessment, of which 131 are for households, we have 51 requests from businesses, we have 39 requests from agriculture, and we have 18 requests for vehicles that have gotten stuck in the water," Nexhmedin Gruda, director of Emergencies in Drenas, told RTK.
Officials in Drenas say that infrastructure problems are being repaired, while they expect that amidst the damage and pain, hope remains that reason and will will be transformed into action to come to the aid of families affected by the floods in Drenas and other municipalities in the country, while the consequences of the floods are mitigated and life can resume with dignity.
