On Monday, members of the government led by Prime Minister Peter Fiala visited the South Moravian villages damaged by last June’s tornado. The prime minister pledged that the government would ensure assistance for those who have so far been unable to access subsidy programs. Photo credit: Vlada.cz
Brno, Feb 8 (BD) – The tornado swept through South Moravia on June 20th last year, hitting the villages of Hrušky, Moravská Nová Ves, Mikulčice, Lužice and Pánov in the Breclav and Hodonín regions. The devastating storm killed six people and damaged 1,200 houses, 200 of which had to be demolished. The tornado left behind billions of dollars in damage.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) visited the affected area on Monday, accompanied by Minister for Regional Development Ivan Bartoš (Piráti), Minister of Industry and Trade Josef Síkela (STAN), and the Minister of the Environment Anna Hubáčková (KDU-CSL), visiting, among other sites, the repaired kindergarten in Hrušky and the tornado-damaged cemetery in Mikulčice. The Prime Minister promised that subsidy programs would be extended to ensure all local businesses would be able to access emergency relief funding. The grant program for municipalities is currently open until the end of April, which Jana Filipovicova, mayor of Hrušky, says is not enough time to prepare all the necessary tender applications.
“It is clear that some subsidy programs, especially the one concerning the renewal of municipal and regional property, should be extended so that everyone who still wants to apply can prepare their application and obtain the necessary funds. We will also talk about other subsidies. The Minister of Industry and Trade, in cooperation with other colleagues, is also preparing a program that would help those businesses who were not covered by the previous subsidy titles,” said Fiala. Síkela confirmed that the government had found a way to ensure that the necessary funds continue to be delivered.
Tornado damage in Hodonin. Photo credit : Vlada.cz
The government members started their visit on Monday in Hrušky, where primary school pupils did not return to their classrooms until more than six months after the devastating storm. The municipality had the roof and the facade of the school repaired, at a cost of CZK 30 million. The ministers also visited the kindergarten building, which has been completely renovated. Authorities in Hrušky have had to deal with repairs to a lot of municipal buildings and infrastructure, including the cemetery, church, gymnasium, local sound system and streetlights. “The municipal buildings are not yet progressing as fast as we would like, but we are still grateful,” said Filipovicova.
Fiala said that the experience of these events must be used to prepare for similar emergencies in the future. “We need to evaluate all the experience that the tornado, rescue and other follow-up work has brought us, so that we know what still needs to be improved and what we should be prepared for if something like this happens again. For example, psychological support will need to be provided to local citizens for much longer than originally anticipated. These are things we can learn from so that we can be even better prepared for possible disasters next time.”
