By: Sara Kovač (Nova24tv.si)
Solidarity is what gives us courage. We came here to help our friends and found many others here. Practically every hour, there were more of us,” said the President of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), Janez Janša, on Sunday. Together with some other SDS party MPs, Janša was helping people around the country who were hit by the floods – on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, for the second day in a row, Janez Janša came to help the people who were hit by floods. The sun was finally shining Sunday, as he said, but the damage is enormous and will far exceed the first estimates of half a billion euros. Never before have so many places been affected by the same disaster. “Solidarity is what gives us courage. We came here to help our friends and found many others here. Practically every hour, there were more of us,” Janša pointed out, adding that despite the difficult conditions and a large amount of mud, mutual help and cooperation are at an all-time high, giving strength and hope to those affected. “But this is only the first step,” he added, as it is virtually impossible to repair all the damage that has been caused in such a short time.
“We have proposed some measures to the government, and thank God the responsible minister has reacted responsibly,” said the leader of the Slovenian Democratic Party, adding that the key burden of the recovery lies with the local authorities – firefighters, mayors, volunteers. He is also very pleased to see the help being offered from abroad. “I am receiving calls and messages from former colleagues, from Prime Ministers, especially those with whom we have worked most closely.” Janša pointed out that “millions of hard-working hands” will be most needed in the coming weeks, as machines are not an option when it comes to cleaning up buildings. He also advised that “everyone who is not affected and can help should contact their friends and acquaintances who need help.” In particular, they should get in contact with municipalities, civil protection and call centres.
He added that people are extremely happy when they get help. Now is also not the time, he said, to talk about the responsibility of what could have been done to prevent all this. “That time will come, because lessons will have to be learned.” He believes that the key is to come together at this moment and put all our efforts into helping each other and showing solidarity, and to find all those who have not yet been found because of the remoteness of their hometowns. And let’s not forget about any of this when the flash floods disappear from the headlines of the media, Janša added.
MPs were also helped by SDS party members
On Saturday, a group of MPs from the SDS party gathered to go help those affected by floods. Bojan Podkrajšek provided a work vehicle, and Franc Breznik, Franc Rosec, Anton Šturbej and Andrej Kosi grabbed shovels and started work early in the morning. Immediately after the meeting of the National Security Council, SDS President Janez Janša also went to Mozirje and grabbed a shovel to help remove the mud that covered the town. Together, they removed over 250 cubic metres of mud from squares and courtyards.
And then, on Sunday, Janša tweeted that “Today, many courageous people, including thousands of members of the SDS party, are helping fix the state of towns that were hit by the floods all over Slovenia,” Adding the hashtag #TogetherWeCan.
Lots of other members of the SDS party also tweeted about helping people in the affected areas.
City councillor Jure Colja from Koper wrote about how a group of boys from his town organised a trip to Mozirje, where they spent the day helping the locals. Colja praised their hard work.
Gregor Gasser from the SDS party Committee Železniki helped a family in Gorenja vas. “This seems almost impossible to be true, but unfortunately, it is. I want to thank this family for providing a meal for us, and I also want to thank the Fire brigade Gorenja vas,” he added.
Meanwhile, Zala Tomašič, the International Secretary of the Slovenian Democratic Youth (Slovenska Demokratska Mladina – SDM), the youth wing of the SDS party, tweeted: “We gladly came to help our friends from Komenda, where the floods caused a lot of damage,” also adding the hashtag #TogetherWeCan. In addition, the official profile of the SDM party tweeted: “We are tired, dirty… but the feeling of having contributed brings us peace and satisfaction. Our members are working tirelessly in the affected areas all over Slovenia. Millions of hard-working hands will be needed in the coming weeks to clean up homes all over the country. Every time our homeland is tested, Slovenians stand together and prove that mutual help, solidarity, sacrifice, and bravery are our strongest weapons, filling us with strength and hope for the future. We can do this. Together. For Slovenia!”