Over 70 machines, 850 employees of various institutions, volunteers work in flood-hit Karlovo area

Over 70 specialized machines and about 850 employees of various state institutions, including the Fire Safety Service, the Armed Forces, the Traffic Police and forestry companies, as well as volunteers have been involved so far in the effort to mitigate the effects of flooding in the Karlovo area caused by torrential rain, the Government Information Service reported on Monday afternoon. Equipment from the neighbouring Smolyan Region was added to the machinery in the area.

The crews were clearing roads, riverbeds, public buildings, houses and yards. The equipment available in the worst-hit villages on Monday became double the amount used on Sunday.

Social services will help people affected by the flooding to apply for one-off financial aid to the maximum amount permitted by law. Food packages will be distributed among the people in the worst-hit communities. After information about the damage reaches the Inter-agency Commission on Restoration and Assistance, the Commission will decide what part of the BGN 35 million in the Disaster Response Fund will be allocated for the recovery of the flood-hit area.

Municipal agriculture services are receiving damage declarations from farmers, including on non-business days. Crews of the Irrigation Systems Company have examined river management installations. Lumbering activities are being reviewed.