The Hungarian Reformed Church Aid Responds in Flood-Affected Areas

Hungary has braced itself for heavy flooding this week as a result of Storm Boris, which has already ravaged several of Hungary’s neighbouring countries in central Europe. Authorities in Hungary have said that water levels will continue to rise in the latter half of the week, warning individuals that this could be the largest flood since 2013. The Budapest mayor’s office released a set of guidelines outlining the procedures the city is implementing for prevention and response. On Monday, a third flood protection alert was declared in Budapest, but according to the National Water Directorate General, a flood protection alert is now in force in 28 protection sections along more than 520 kilometres, mainly at the second and third levels.

Since Monday, the HRCA has been on the ground in affected areas around the Danube River, coordinating with the local municipalities, churches, communities, and a network of volunteers to support flood prevention and response measures. The HRCA team, alongside volunteers, has worked to fill and place sandbags to reinforce embankments and vulnerable locations in areas throughout Dunaalmás and Tahi. The HRCA Search and Rescue team, comprised of a highly specialised and experienced team of experts, is contributing to relief and prevention efforts by transporting sandbags and aerial reconnaissance with drones, water pumps, generators and floodlights to support work in disaster management. Beginning Wednesday, the HRCA team will move to Budapest and focus its efforts on the capital for the second half of the week, filling and placing sandbags to bolster the sites designated by disaster management as the flooding is expected to peak in the latter half of the week.

In Dunaalmás, the local Reformed community is very concerned for its church. The congregation is this year’s beneficiary of the Reformation Sunday donation campaign as well as the offering of the Gustav Adolf Werk (GAW), the German aid organisation responsible for the Diaspora work of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD). Every year, on the last Sunday of October, the RCH church members dedicate their offering to support the renovation of a church building of a specific congregation selected by the leadership of RCH. This year, offerings will support the renovation of the church building of the congregation in Dunaalmás, which was severely damaged in the record 2013 flood. Due to the flood 11 years ago, the church floor sank by 12 cm, causing the parapet to collapse and making it almost life-threatening. The pastor now says that with the recent floods, it is feared that the roof structure may collapse.

On 15 September, the Hungarian Reformed Charity Service also launched a nationwide fundraising campaign to purchase flood protection equipment and ensure continuous supplies.

Donations from abroad can be transferred to the following bank account: