Bulgarian cabinet to donate firewood to four flood-hit municipalities
Bulgaria’s caretaker cabinet was scheduled on October 22 to approve a donation of 1500 cubic metres of firewood to residents of four municipalities that were hard-hit by serious flooding this past summer.
The goal is to help people whose property was destroyed by natural disasters make it through the coming winter, a government media office statement said.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the mayors of the four municipalities – Mizia, Slatina, Berkovitsa and Georgi Damyanovo – will be responsible for organising and distributing the firewood.
In early August, floodwaters that swept through Mizia led to loss of life and the destruction of hundreds of homes.
Separately, Bulgarian-language media reports on October 22 said that residents of Mizia were unhappy with the way that donations were being distributed by a public council that had been given the task.
Mizia deputy mayor Nikolai Nekovski said that people complained about a lack of information about incoming donations, “that there is no information about what has arrived and what will be distributed and who will get what”.
Nevkovski said that there was a suspicion that donations were being handed out on political lines.
“There have been cases where people get two ovens, and sell one, while others who are in need get nothing,” he said.
(Photo: humusak2/freeimages.com)
