Helping on the front line (VFD)

 

The effects of the floods that swept through parts of Europe, including Poland, last month will be remembered for many years by those affected. Using our links with the VFD, we decided to rush to the aid of those who needed it most.

On 15 September 2024, as a result of the ongoing flooding, the dam in Stronie Śląskie burst. This led to the flooding of a village in the valley of the Biała Lądecka river. Our firefighting unit, experienced in dealing with this type of natural disaster, decided to act. After several unsuccessful attempts to obtain permission from the State Fire Brigade (the region of operations being outside our voivodship was an obstacle), the Myślenice Town Hall finally gave us the green light to go, although it only allowed four people equipped with light off-road equipment.

We arrived in Ladek Zdroj on Friday 27 September after a long and difficult journey, during which we saw the scale of the destruction - broken bridges, washed-out roads and ruined houses. Our first task was to bring the necessary supplies to the houses that had been cut off from the world. In the afternoon, we moved to Radochovo, where the effects of the flood were even more impressive. Over the following days, we helped the residents by providing them with food and aggregates, removing fallen trees, rescuing possessions from flooded homes, and performing many other more or less unusual tasks.

In the course of our work, we met hundreds of volunteers who we helped to reach the furthest places. In many cases, we also made up for their lack of equipment. Getting around over the weekend was complicated: despite traffic being closed to civilian vehicles, it was hampered by the ever-present heavy military equipment used to repair damaged roads and bridges. The weather conditions were not favourable either, but this did not prevent us from carrying out our tasks efficiently.

On the last day, before returning to Myślenice, we still had the opportunity to see the broken dam up close. The sight was terrifying - the breach was nearly 15 metres high and 30 metres wide, and the trees growing along the riverbed were stripped of their bark to a height of 10 metres.

We arrived at our homes early on Monday morning. We had a couple of hours to sleep, as by 10 a.m. we already had to attend to cleaning and repairing the equipment we had used during the action. Although the whole trip was exhausting and the sight of the countless losses suffered by the residents was deeply moving and depressing, each of us felt a little lighter in the heart at the thought that we had given as much as we could during those several dozen hours of work.

Author: Wojciech Batko