Aid from Újbuda to Edelény

Tuesday morning a lorry with nearly ten cubic metres of donation departed from Grosics Gyula Sports Elementary School of Újbuda, for Edelény, a town stricken by flood. Between June 9–15, pupils, parents and teachers were collecting food, detergents and clothes for the flood victims.

We were told by Mihály Kiss, the headmaster that this is not the first time the pupils help towns or villages hit by natural disasters. In 2001, they sent aid to Tarpa, which was flooded by the Tisza, and in 2005 they helped Nyikómalomfalva in Transylvania with 5–6 tons of donation.

– After the current flooding I asked pupils to spare a few days’ pocket money they usually spend in the school cafeteria, and use it to buy tinned and other long-lasting food, then bring it to the school. Fortunately, many of them have listened to my appeal and we have collected a huge amount of donations in just a short time – said Mihály Kiss, adding: naturally, the teachers have also joined the charity. In total, more than two hundred people have collected donations for the flood victims.

The headmaster of the Újbuda school also said that it was after he saw a report on television that he decided to call the mayor of Edelény and ask him if they needed donations. The first man of the Borsod county small town said they happily accept every help.

We were told by Mihály Kiss that whenever the school collects donations for towns hit by the flood, they always ask the MP of the district to help with the transport. This time it was István Simicskó who volunteered immediately: the state secretary of the MoD rented a military vehicle at his own expense to take the aid to Edelény.

The gigantic ’military green’ Rába H–14 lorry of the HDF Support Brigade, Support Battalion arrived to the car park of the school early in the morning. István Simicskó said at the press conference before loading: the headmaster of the school contacted him as a Member of Parliament and asked for his help in sending the aid, consisting of food, clothes and detergents, to the victims of the flood in Edelény.

– The Hungarian Defence Forces would like to help in getting this donation to those who are concerned, therefore they have offered a vehicle to transport it. Naturally, as the MP of the district and as the state secretary of the MoD, I will cover the cost of transport. The defence forces are contributing with the vehicle itself – said István Simicskó. The state secretary added: negotiations are in progress about how and with which corps the HDF can help recovery in Felsõzsolca and other towns and villages seriously damaged by the flood. It is also on the agenda that the 5th ’István Bocskai’ Infantry Brigade would reconstruct a kindergarten in Felsõzsolca.

– This joint effort can be exemplary; the urge to help and join hands is present in Hungarian people, if our fellow citizens are in trouble, we help them. I would like to thank everyone for the present support and help – said István Simicskó, who told honvedelem.hu that the troops will take the school’s donations to the mayor’s office in Edelény, where the local flood protection committee will distribute the aid.

At the press conference we were also told that the employees of the Hungarian Defence Forces, in order to express their sympathy for those living in areas hit by the flood, will also participate in the activities following flood protection and in recovery. The personnel will help those who need it the most because they have partly or entirely lost their homes and assets. Between June 9–16, the staff of the HDF State Medical Centre have been collecting donations at the institutions of the SMC. In seven days, they have collected 620,000 forints worth of food, detergents and disinfectants, and blankets. The donation has been given to the municipality of Felsõzsolca, the town most hit by the flood. SMC’s institutions in the counties have raised 200,000 forints, which will be distributed between the municipalities of Felsõzsolca and Szendrõ. The transport of the aid is supported by the Foundation for the Future of the Central Military Hospital

The aid collected by Újbuda pupils and teachers was loaded onto the military lorry by teachers and parents led by István Simicskó and Mihály Kiss. The vehicle is expected to arrive in Edelény Tuesday afternoon.