In the Czech Republic, cleanup work is in full swing on Saturday after last week’s devastating tornado. Soldiers and firefighters remove vehicles thrown by the storm. Experts are now looking at which buildings are at risk of collapse.
The tornado caused an unprecedented havoc in the EU country on Thursday. That happened in an area that is about 500 meters wide and 26 kilometres long. “I survived the war, but I’ve never seen anything like it,” an elderly woman told the CTK news agency.
The storm killed at least five people and injured 200 people. Among the dead is a pregnant woman from neighbouring Slovakia, whose unborn child also died. Authorities do not believe there are any more people under the rubble.
Hundreds of buildings were swept away or severely damaged. The government says it will allocate 16 million euros for reconstruction. In addition, aid organizations received approximately 6 million euros in donations from private individuals in a short period.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis has already announced that he also wants to call on the EU Solidarity Fund. Countries can get money from that European pot after, for example, forest fires, earthquakes, storms and floods.