Government ministers heading to flood affected Northern Moravia

Six ministers will meet Monday afternoon in Krnov with mayors of surrounding municipalities and other regional politicians to discuss the recovery of areas affected by recent floods. Tomáš Hradil, the independent mayor of Krnov, told Czech Radio that state assistance needs to be faster and more effective now. Czech government has allocated a total of 40 billion CZK from the state budget to aid the regions affected by recent floods. Non-profit organizations are also providing assistance in the impacted areas. Krnov and Opava officials said earlier they are considering suing the state in connection with the extensive damage wrought by the September floods. According to the local authorities, the state is to blame for not having financed adequate flood protection measures on the Opava River in the 27 years since the devastating floods in 1997. They consequently hold it co-responsible for the extensive damage caused. They said their decision would depend on the state’s readiness to compensate individuals and firms for the damage caused.