Continuous reconstructions with Hungarian support
Szöveg: Major Viktor Nagy | 2014. december 26. 6:01In May 2014 Bosnia-Herzegovina was hit by one of the worst flood disaster in the history of the country. National and International assistance was necessary due to the damage caused and the Hungarian Defence Forces played an active role in delivering this support. The outstanding performance of the EUFOR Hungarian Contingency personnel during the emergency response operations was appreciated by the EUFOR headquarters and the local population.
The restoration work required, following the flood, placed a large burden on the government and local communities. Hundreds of bridges were damaged or destroyed during the disaster and though small in size vital to the local communities. The Hungarian soldiers played an important role working with other international organisations in repairing these bridges. Representatives of the local municipalities played the lead role in these repair projects and the finances and procurement procedures were assured by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The reconstruction work was undertaken by the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina with EUFOR support. The Monitoring and Mentoring Team (MMT),consisting of soldiers of the Hungarian 37. II. Rákóczi Ferenc Engineer Regiment, led by Captain István Baranyai provided professional support for these projects. Construction work in Zvornik began on the 11 December 2014 and the first phase is due to finish on 20 December 2014, however if work has to stop due to bad weather conditions the bridge reconstruction work will contnue in January 2015.
Current plans include the reconstruction of four bridges, however both EUFOR and the Hungarian Defence Forces are ready to provide further support and assistance in this field to the local and international organisations if necessary.
Photos by the author
