site.btaMore Than 220 Aid Applications Filed After Floods in Central Bulgaria

More than 500 inspections have been carried out to households affected by the recent floods in the regions of Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Sevlievo and Dryanovo (North Central Bulgaria), and over 220 applications for financial assistance have been submitted, Labour and Social Policy Minister Natalia Efremova said on Nova TV.

A state of emergency was declared in parts of the Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo and Lovech regions following heavy rainfall on May 22. The body of a 55-year-old man from Gabrovo who went missing during the flooding near Sevlievo was found on May 26 after a search operation.

Applications for aid are still being accepted, Efremova said. Twelve applications have already been approved, with payments expected to begin in the middle of next week. She highlighted the strong coordination between social assistance mobile teams and municipal officials in processing support measures.

The maximum amount of assistance is close to EUR 4,000, although the exact sum depends on an assessment of damages, including whether the damaged property is the applicant's sole and primary residence, the minister explained.

The support includes two one-off payments provided through the Social Assistance Agency and an additional grant from the Social Protection Fund to replace damaged household items such as televisions, refrigerators and freezers. Applications for the latter are submitted through municipalities.

Commenting on the fuel assistance scheme, which provides EUR 20 to eligible citizens when fuel prices remain at EUR 1.60 or above for three consecutive days, Efremova said around 230,000 applications had been filed. Initial estimates indicate that about one million people meet the eligibility criteria.

A second round of payments is currently under way, after an initial disbursement was completed earlier. The minister said the number of applications was unlikely to rise significantly and added that, given the situation in the Middle East, the government was considering additional support packages for vulnerable groups. Whether the fuel assistance scheme will continue after June will depend on consultations with the Finance Ministry and an assessment of the situation, she said.