Hungary’s oldest village is flooded

The nearby stream overflowed its banks and flooded one of the oldest Hungarian villages, Dédestapolcsány, on 29-30 May. One-fourth of the locals were forced to leave their homes; some might never be able to return.

The village of Dédestapolcsány was flooded on 29-30 May, Magyarhang.org reports.

The small village of Dédestapolcsány is located in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, and it has a population of approximately 1,600 people. The town is known as one of the oldest villages in the country, as it has been inhabited for over a thousand years. The whole region was very proud of the village which people also call the gem of the Bükk mountains.

Due to the continuous heavy rains of the last month, the nearby stream overflowed its banks. However, this was probably only one of the reasons for the flood. Due to the extensive wood production in the area, the forests that used to surround the village were chopped down. If there are no trees, there is nothing in the way of the water coming down from the mountains. These two things combined contributed to the flood, which is unprecedented. Luckily, no one was injured.

https://www.facebook.com/severeweatherEU/videos/827906420925609/

The flood affected over 150 houses in the village, which is about one-fourth of the entire town. People needed to vacate their own homes. A few of them might never be able to move back in.

People in this region have not experienced such a serious flood in decades.

The mayor of Dédestapolcsány, László Lukács, told magyarhang.org:

“My only hope is that there will be no more heavy rains in the near future. This year, the stream’s water level was 80 centimetres higher than last year. Luckily, it has since normalised, but the level of the groundwater, the water in the wells, and the water in the basements are still very high.”

The local government is hoping that in this emergency situation, they will get help from the nearby towns, as well as from the government, and from other aid organisations. They are also planning to host a benefit for the victims.

You can donate here:

• Address: 3643 Dédestapolcsány, 21 Petőfi Sándor Street
• Phone: 48/501-030
• Bank information: Public Foundation for Culture, Crime Prevention and Environmental Protection 61600063-10003231 (Korona Takarékszövetkezet)

People need furniture and stoves the most.

Source: www.magyarhang.org