site.btaAgency for Social Assistance Teams to Visit Haskovo Residents Affected by Worsening Weather Conditions

Teams from the Agency for Social Assistance (ASA) will visit residents in Haskovo Province, where yards and ground floors have been flooded and, in some areas, electricity supply was temporarily cut off, the press center of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy said. Caretaker Minister Hasan Ademov has instructed ASA teams to remain on full alert and provide support to people affected by the worsening weather conditions.

Social workers have also been instructed to contact elderly and vulnerable residents in Ardino Municipality, where several villages have been cut off due to rising water levels in the Arda River in the Kardzhali region. ASA employees are also closely monitoring the situation in Galabovo Municipality because of increased levels of the Sokolitsa River.

A partial state of emergency has been declared in Galabovo Municipality, and the BG-ALERT warning system has been activated.

ASA teams are ready to assist if temporary accommodation is needed. On site, they will also advise residents about the disaster relief assistance available through the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Under the law, people whose property has been damaged are entitled to aid of up to three times the poverty line — EUR 1,171 — and if the damaged home is their only residence, they may receive an additional EUR 1,550, the ministry recalled.

Over the past 24 hours, severe weather has caused problems in a number of regions, with damage reported to homes and yards in some settlements. The agency’s teams are prepared to respond elsewhere in the country if necessary, the ministry added.