Emergency Flood Relief Appeal Bosnia2014

The worst floods since records began 120 years ago have hit Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia last few days, as several months of rain fell in a few days and rivers burst their banks. Those floods have left more than 20 dead so far, only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and forced many tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. According to a spokesman for Bosnia's Security Ministry, about a million people - more than a quarter of the country's population - live in the affected area.

Towns and villages are completely cut off and emergency services are working around the clock to rescue people. Landslides have buried houses and disturbed landmines laid during the war in the 1990s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27477593

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2014/05/floods-balkans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-UNtSix7Qs&app=desktop


Both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have declared a state of emergency - rescuers and volunteers are working incessantly to help thousands of people out of the flooded houses. Those who have been rescued are staying in temporary shelter, they need the basics such as water, food and sanitary products. Currently the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina is trying to collect funds to be able to cope with this historical catastrophe, but also a lot of funds and help will be needed after water is back to river banks to reconstruct all the houses, infrastructure and help people start their lives again.

I am originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and I am currently doing my PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK. As there is at the moment no official PayPal or online card payment method to donate money to the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina or any of the Governmental institution, I am trying to bridge this problem and give the opportunity to people from abroad who want to help our people.

All money you donate will be transferred to the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina and used specifically for the flooding catastrophe. You can also directly donate to the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina using information provided on their website:
http://www.rcsbh.org/novosti/207-urgent-appeal-for-help

PayPal of the Government of Republic of Srpska:
http://www.vladars.net/eng/Pages/paypal.aspx

For those affected with floods in Serbia you can give your donation via official PayPal account of Government of Serbia:

http://www.gs.gov.rs/english/index.html

For Croatia please visit the Red Cross of Croatia webpage:

https://secure.webteh.hr/donate/79

or GoFundMe page of friend of mine Martina Kuvalja:

http://www.gofundme.com/9d3z50

Please help the victims of the severe floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina - every little helps! Skip one drink in a pub and donate, £3 can buy over 9L of potable water, enough for nine people to have drinking water for a whole day (and in times like this, every day counts).

Thank you!

Milan

* Main photo taken from euronews.com (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic)