More gov’t aid as Poland cleans up after storms
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
19.08.2017 14:20
Households and institutions affected by last weekend’s series of severe storms in northern and western Poland will receive more aid from the government, Prime Minister Beata Szydło said on Saturday.
PM Beata Szydło (right) and Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak speak during a press conference in Chojnice. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
She was speaking in the northern town of Chojnice, which she visited together with several of her Cabinet ministers amid efforts to repair storm damage.
The government will unveil details of new ways to help storm victims after a meeting next week, Szydło said, adding that this will include both direct financial help and "physical assistance" to restore the "normal functioning" of people in areas affected by the storms.
"We need to draw conclusions and amend certain regulations … to not only ease the cleanup effort, but also facilitate the reconstruction of the damaged areas," Szydło said.
Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, who was among the government ministers accompanying Szydło to Chojnice, told reporters that local authorities had already received over PLN 42 million (EUR 9.8 million, USD 11.6 million) in funds from the government to support storm victims.
The aid is targeted at over 7,300 families to help them during "the transition period before they rebuild their homes," Błaszczak said.
Six people died and 52 others were injured after violent storms hit Poland last weekend. The gales damaged some 4,000 buildings, including 2,800 residential buildings, and wreaked havoc in forests in Poland's north and west. (str/pk)
Source: PAP, IAR, TVP Info