I don’t usually post such things, but then again, we don’t usually have natural disasters, either.
Last week, Serbia was hit with heavy rainstorms. The neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina didn’t fare any better. Now, heavy rainstorms are nothing unusual in Serbia; however, in 2-3 days, we got as much rain as we usually get in 3 months or more. The temperature dropped, so the mountains are covered with snow now. Yes, in May.
The results? Floods in Serbia and Bosnia, and landslides in Bosnia (meaning buried houses). Croatia is affected, too.
We still don’t know how many people died. Tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated. Entire towns were flooded. I’m safe and unharmed (if you don’t count the cold I caught during the rain), but many people lost their homes and everything they had. Plenty of folks don’t have power or didn’t have power for a while — power plants tend not to work when flooded. Crops and orchards were flooded too. I guess food is going to get even more pricey.
And the worst is yet to come.
The temperature skyrocketed. Snow on the mountains is going to melt quickly, and several rivers have already burst their banks — and are coming our way. In a day or to, we can expect a new flood wave on one of the main rivers, Sava. A few more rivers could give us serious trouble, too.
And after all that, there will be a lot of rebuilding to do.
People from all over the world have already helped. Many European countries (our neighbors, even though they have their own problems, are really helping a ton), Russia, USA… There’s a lot of solidarity, people are helping in any way they can, through donations, sharing information, building defenses, bringing food, clothes, diapers, sanitary material… This solidarity is amazing. There are also those who are trying to profit from other people’s misery, but they’re in the minority. So many people are truly doing their best.
If you wish to help too, there’s a PayPal account you can donate to, floodrelief@gov.rs. The address is just for PayPal, messages sent to this address won’t be answered. Spreading the word would also be great, and sending positive thoughts and good vibes our way is most welcome.
Wish us luck, folks. We’re going to need it. And thanks for any and all help.
A Kitty Dreaming About Wings 