Press Releases

31. 8. 201016:11

Flooded Municipalities Recovering, Government Prepares Further Assistance

Damage caused in the Liberec and Ústí Regions by the August floods is just beginning to be removed. The Government is asking for assistance from the European funds.

Last Wednesday the Government decided on immediate release of the sum of 665 million CZK from the budget reserves for the repair of transport infrastructure. This decision was motivated by efforts to manage as much building work as possible by the start of this coming winter.

“The greatest damage was caused on railway tracks in the flooded areas. This is estimated at almost half a billion CZK. Funds will be allocated primarily for the repair of the following railway lines: Benešov nad Ploučnicí – Česká Lípa, Děčín – Rumburk, Liberec – Černousy, Liberec – Žitava,” the Premier told journalists today.

The floods also caused major damage to first-class roads. First-class road No. 13 has to be repaired in several sections in the Liberec Region. Damaged verges and sections of roads also have to be repaired at Albrechtice, Mníšek and Stráž nad Nisou. Repair of the bridge at Dětřichov will cost more than 20 million CZK.

“The Land Fund will cover the costs of removing flood deposits on state-owned land. The Fund will also defer payments of rent installments on considerably flood-damaged land, and will delay to its clients payments from the privatization and sales of state-owned farmland, “ Petr Nečas added.

In addition to this prompt assistance, the Land Fund will also make it possible to municipalities and citizens hit by floods to exchange or purchase state-owned land for the purpose of new construction at preferential rates.

Subsidies to Municipalities for the Purchase or Construction of Their Own Housing Units

Assistance in removing flood damage is also provided by the State Housing Development Fund. This helps physical entities whose dwellings have been flooded. Assistance is provided by means of credits to cover part of the costs of the repair of such flats and family houses.

The Fund also helps natural persons who owned flats or houses and who lost their dwellings due to their removal or destruction. This kind of assistance is provided as credits for the construction or purchase of a new family house or flat.

The Fund also assists municipalities and – through them – owners of flats and houses to finance repairs and modernization by granting credits to cover part of the costs of the repairs and modernization of flood-damaged flats and houses.

Finance Ministry To Ask for Money from the EU Solidarity Fund

Overall damage caused in our territory would have to exceed 21 billion CZK for the Czech Republic to qualify for standard assistance from the Solidarity Fund. In view of the current sum of flood damage (approximately 6.5 billion CZK) it is possible to ask for financial assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund only on the basis of the so-called emergency criterion for regional disasters.

If the request is granted the Czech Republic could receive a maximum of 162 million CZK.

“At the initiative of the Czech MEP Edvard Kožešník, the European Parliament will discuss this week inclusion of the item involving assistance to the countries hit by summer floods on the agenda of the plenary session of the European Parliament to be held from September 6 to 9, 2010,” the Premier added.

Government Managed to Help at the Time of Imminent Danger

The floods on August 6 and 7 hit 78 municipalities in the Liberec Region and 67 municipalities in the Ústí Region, and claimed five human lives.

The Government released 80 million CZK in immediate aid to the flooded areas, 40 million CZK for each region.

Approximately 230 fire-fighting units and more than 1,200 firemen were deployed in both regions immediately as soon as the floods came. As many as 106 fire-fighting units with some 400 firemen (out of which 84 were local voluntary fire-fighting units) and 124 mobile technology units were deployed in cleaning-up works in the Liberec Region on August 18, 2010.