Food and hygiene package distribution in eight municipalities

In the first emergency phase Caritas of Belgrade Arcbishopic, which involves the area in which there were most floods, has distributed packages of food and hygienic products in the following 8 municipalities affected by the floods: Krupanj, Ub, Valjevo, Osecina, Lajkovac, Mionica, Sabac and Obrenovac. The distribution was organized through personal visits of the Caritas staff to 73 villages or city areas affected by floods, in collaboration with the local authorities, the local communities and the local emergency headquarters, who have the most updated lists of the flood-affected households. With this package distribution Caritas was able to help over 4200 households. Each household has received two packages of hygiene products and one package of food. The means for the realization of this project have been provided through donations of the countries members of the Caritas network. 

Social mapping of the households affected by floods

During the visit of the households and the distribution of packages Caritas staff made a damage assessment, through a short interview, in order to understand the necessities of the flood affected population and help them on a long term basis. This assessment is based on: the official damage reports prepared by the government commissions for each municipality, the information obtained from municipal Emergency HQs, and their respective commissions and direct visits of Caritas staff and volunteers to the affected households in selected municipalities.

The damage assessment has lead to a development of a comprehensive Caritas/municipal data base of flood-affected households, which will be used in the rehabilitation phase of the project, in order to provide the assistance according to determinate criteria, especially to the most vulnerable households.

Humanitarian aid

Thanks to the good people all over Europe Caritas Serbia has received 15 trucks with over 120 tons of different humanitarian aid (food, hygiene, clothes), which was distributed in other 7 municipalities: Lazarevac, Svilajnac, Jagodina, Paraćin, Topola, Smederevska Palanka and Despotovac. This aid has arrived from the members of the Caritas network and other organisations, like: Caritas Austria (27.5t), Caritas Hungary (1.8t), Caritas Kosovo (17.5), Caritas Slovenia (15.7t), Manor Switzerland (7t), Caritas and Hofer Slovenia (20 t), Caritas Slovakia (10 t), Caritas Zrenjanin (2 t), Caritas Poznan from Poland (15 t). Thanks to this aid Caritas was able to help 7850 households and some institutions, like primary and secondary schools.

Dryers

Caritas Magdeburg and Caritas Austria contributed 114 driers in total to the local Caritas. The driers are already used in nine targeted municipalities. More than 360 families were supported with the dryers and they are now prepared for the home reconstructions.

Animal feed distribution

Livestock farming is one of the most important sources of income in the areas affected by floods, so providing animal feed was necessary for the sustainability of many households. Caritas was one of the rare organisations which distributed animal feed in different areas, in collaboration with the local emergency headquarters and the local veterinary institutions. Thanks to the Caritas network it was able to provide animal feed for over 1500 households, with the total weight of 290 tons, in the municipalities: Krupanj, Ub, Šabac, Osečina and Lajkovac.

Activities of Caritas Zrenjanin and Malteser organisation of Hungary in Obrenovac municipality

In June, volunteers of Diocesan Caritas Zrenjanin (Serbia), with the experts for natural disasters of the Malteser organisation of Hungary completed mapping and selected 80 houses on the territory of the local community Dudovi in the city area Braca Jugovic of Obrenovac, to whom they gave assistance through the use of dryers, as part of the project „Helping together”. These dryers were provided by the Malteser organisation of Hungary.