The European Union has provided €65,000 in humanitarian funding to assist the most affected Bosnian residents by floods and landslides in late June 2020, the EU Delegation to Bosnia said Tuesday.

Heavy rainfalls have caused floods and landslides in northeast Bosnia in late June 2020, affecting as many as 15,000 people. This caused rivers and creeks to swell and flood houses and roads, forcing many to evacuate their homes. Many have also lost their orchards and agricultural fields, which are often their main source of income, the EU Delegation said.

Therefore the EU provided €65,000 in humanitarian funding to assist the most vulnerable.

“This EU funding supports the Red Cross in delivering urgently needed relief to the vulnerable people affected by the floods in 15 municipalities and cities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska entities, in the vicinity of (the central Bosnian city of) Tuzla,” the statement said.

“A total of 1,000 most vulnerable people affected by flash floods, such as the elderly, people with disabilities and single-parent households, will receive cash assistance to cover their urgent needs for living.”

According to the EU statement, the new equipment will help the Red Cross to prepare for and respond to future floods.

This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The European Union is the largest donor of the flood recovery efforts in BiH with around €84 million allocated in support to local communities that suffered severe damages in the 2014 floods.

The funds are used to provide direct support to citizens through the construction/reconstruction of housing units and ensuring stable and sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable families. A significant part of these funds was also used to increase capacities of BiH in terms of prevention and protection for integrated floods risk management.

The EU Delegation’s announcement further states that the EU is the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Through the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO), the Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year, they said.