Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO) has immediately stepped in with various aid, including emergency food supplies, shelter materials, hygienic parcels, as well as cash grants for affected households across Serbia. The provision of this ongoing support will continue in Serbia until the end of this year.
Some 4,100 families are receiving much needed food supplies, such as canned food and ready-to-eat meals for the duration of at least 15 days per family.
ECHO is also providing shelter materials and non-food items for 4,100 families in cooperation with the Red Cross, including a wall repair set for each family, suitable to repair a 75 m2 accommodation. In addition, each family receives hygienic kits for a duration of three months.
Some 1,150 households will benefit from cash grants of 250 euros per family for shelter rehabilitation. Some 100 families would receive funds for the rehabilitation of flooded wells. As many as 3,510 individuals will benefit from cash for farming support and small business recovery. Cash support ranges between 350 and 1,100 EUR per household.
photo credit: Mercy Corps
According to Ambassador Michael Davenport, the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, “this is an important element in the assistance that Serbia and also Bosnia and Herzegovina have received and will be receiving from the EU and its Member States to recover from the worst floods in a century. The EU is Serbia’s lead partner in tackling the consequences of the May flooding.”
ECHO assistances comes on top of EUR 30 million already reaching Serbia for reconstruction of schools, kindergartens, roads and houses and recovery of the agricultural sector in 24 flooded municipalities. EU is by far the biggest Serbian partner in dealing with flood damage. Serbia has applied for the money within the EU Solidarity Fund, and the decision on this would be made by the end of 2014.
Link to ECHO factsheet on response to floods in Serbia and BiH:
serbia_floods_bih_en.pdf
