ON November 3, armed forces chief General Nikola Kolev said that Operation Phoenix, launched in September to help regions damaged by the summer floods, had come to an end.
The operation was aimed specifically at restoration of damaged infrastructure such as roads, bridges and railway lines. In total, the army restored 45 facilities and 10 bridges, said Kolev.
The army has spent about 15 million leva, of which close to 1.1 million leva will be reimbursed by the state. The state money will cover the armys expenses on fuel and spare parts for the heavy vehicles used in the restoration process.
Close to 313 families were left homeless during the summer floods and are still waiting for the Government-promised prefabricated wooden houses. According to data from the National Association of Municipalities, while 500 buildings were damaged, only three houses had been built. Seventy-four are still works in progress.
The displaced families would receive trailers until the houses were built, Emel Etem, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Disaster Management, said on November 1.
In total, the Government has allocated 120 million leva for restoration work.
According to data from the Government Road Agency, damage to the road network alone has reached 180 million leva. The funds that the agency had received so far, however, amount to 50 million leva.
Still, donations continue to arrive. The US European Command (EUCOM) together with the US embassy in Sofia, has donated humanitarian and technical assistance to nine of the most flood-affected municipalities, including two hospitals in Svoge and Sofia and the Regional Fire Safety Department, also in Sofia. The aid was estimated at $125 000. The funds raised by the on-going Bulgarian Red Cross Organisations campaign for the affected regions have reached 1.7 million leva.
