Polish public, businesses and charities rally to help flood victims

Businesses, charities, local authorities and members of the public have rallied to provide support to victims of ongoing major floods that have devasted parts of southwest Poland.

Donation campaigns have collected money and humanitarian aid for those in the affected areas, while many businesses are offering products and services free of charge. The authorities estimate that the damage caused by the floods will reach billions of zloty.

Kłodzko, Poland.

Street view image before yesterday’s flood and a photo taken today of the aftermath. Devastating. pic.twitter.com/AgG1GJhm3E

— Met4Cast. (@Met4CastUK) September 16, 2024

On Sunday, shortly after the floods began, Catholic charity Caritas announced that it would provide 400,000 zloty (€93,500) of emergency relief to flood victims. It has also set up collection points for food, medicine, water and hygiene products to be distributed among those in need.

“Many people have lost their homes; schools, kindergartens and hospitals are destroyed; the need for support is huge!” wrote Caritas, which has also announced a collection of money in churches around Poland this Sunday.

Meanwhile, an online fundraiser for flood victims by the Polish Red Cross (PCK) has already raised 2.6 million zloty from its 4 million zloty target. PCK has been delivering food packages and drinking water to those hit by the floods as well as driers and other equipment to help recover damaged buildings.

22 września Wielka Zbiórka na Pomoc Poszkodowanym przez powódź!

Po każdej Mszy Świętej w całej Polsce będziemy zbierać środki, które Caritas Polska przekaże najbardziej potrzebującym osobom które zmagają się z powodzią. pic.twitter.com/M1Yfcm17Ob

— Caritas Polska (@CaritasPolska) September 19, 2024

Poland’s largest annual charity fundraising event, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP), has also announced that it is ready to provide 40 million zloty for the purchase of the most urgent products that local authorities need to help victims.

To keep up with the accumulating needs, WOŚP has also launched a special collection that has already risen over 9 million zloty. Over 22 million zloty has been donated to a collection organised by Fundacja Siepomaga, a popular fundraising platform.

Numerous other collections of goods and funds have been organised by local authorities and activists around the country.

❤️Uruchomiliśmy kolejną formę wsparcia. Już teraz możecie wpłacić do naszej eSkarbonki napędzanej przez @MastercardPL 👉 https://t.co/zaZRVh53Cz
Razem możemy więcej!

❤️Wszelkie informacje dotyczące działań Wielkiej Orkiestry Świątecznej Pomocy na rzecz walki ze skutkami powodzi…

— WOŚP (@fundacjawosp) September 17, 2024

A number of businesses have also offered their support. CCC, one of Europe’s largest shoe firms, announced on Wednesday that it was donating 10,000 rubber boots to PCK in the province of Lower Silesia, where CCC is based and where some of the worst flooding has taken place.

“Rubber boots will make it easier to move around flooded areas now, but they will also be needed when removing the damage,” wrote the firm. The company had previously faced criticism for advertising the sale of such boots while flooding already loomed over Poland.

Earlier this week, Polish delivery firm InPost offered “all available road vehicles to deliver aid flowing from various regions of the country to the disaster area” and launched a free delivery service for those who want to support flood victims.

Jeronimo Martins, owner of supermarket chain Biedronka, and German discount chain Lidl have also supported the flooded areas with food deliveries. Polish state energy giant Orlen has priovided free petrol and hot beverages to firefighters and other services involved in the rescue operations.

WYSYŁAMY POMOC! 💙 Uruchamiamy specjalną usługę, w ramach której każdy może za darmo nadać paczkę z produktami, które zostaną przekazane za pośrednictwem PCK osobom dotkniętym skutkami powodzi. Wejdźcie na: https://t.co/JVHSIORACP i sprawdźcie, jak możecie pomóc potrzebującym! pic.twitter.com/4o9GVaeJk8

— Paczkomat, Kurier (@InPostPL) September 17, 2024

Soon after the floods started, Poland’s government announced that it had put aside 1 billion zloty to provide support for flood victims, who would each be able to claim up to 10,000 zloty in immediate support and up to 200,000 for longer-term repair of damaged buildings.

“The losses in infrastructure, for which the state or local government will be responsible, are gigantic,” said Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday, adding that the “damage will reach billions of zloty”.

To facilitate rescue and relief operations, the government has also declared a state of natural disaster for the first time in Poland’s history.

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Main image credit: Cezary Aszkielowicz / Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna