site.btaMizia Flood Victims to Get One-off Aid - Deputy PM Hristoskov

Mizia, Northern Bulgaria, August 7 (BTA) - One-off aid of 325 leva will start to be paid to the flood victims in Mizia on Friday when the first 522 people will get the money, Deputy Prime Minister and Labour and Social Policy Minister Yordan Hristoskov told local residents.

On Thursday Hristoskov and Interior Minister Yordan Bakalov visited the flooded town, attended a meeting of the crisis management centre and met with evacuees staying in the kindergarten. The two ministers also checked out the work of the field kitchen.

The swelling Skut River flooded Mizia last weekend, claiming two lives. Dozens of homes were destroyed and many more are uninhabitable.

So far 724 people have applied for one-off assistance. More than 1,000 applications  in all are expected to be filed from the entire Vratsa Region, including Byala Slatina and the village of Kroushovitsa, which were badly hit by the flood. All applicants will be paid one-off aid by Tuesday at the latest, said Hristoskov.

He added that after the water is drained, buildings and properties have to be cleared and disinfected, which will involve as many people as possible under his Ministry's programmes.

Hristoskov, Bakalov and the town's mayor agreed that all people who lost their IDs in the flood must be issued new documents as soon as possible.

Bakalov praised the operation of the rescue teams. At the request of Mizia Mayor Violin Kroushovenski he ordered the commitment of one policemen to each dam in the area due to suspicions about uncontrolled release of water from the water basins. Taking a journalist question, Bakalov said that the prosecution authority is about to pronounce itself on the real causes of the disaster in Mizia, Kroushovitsa and Byala Slatina. In his opinion, it is high time to start implementing the national plan on action in case of crises, disasters and accidents and to train people because now "we will pay much more than for prevention". He said that equipped vans will be ensured for the Mizia residents hit by the disaster.

Employees of Bulgarian Posts EAD have taken a decision to donate 1,000 bottles of mineral water to the Mizia residents. The donation has already been supplied by the local branch of the Bulgarian Red Cross.