Vogošća Mayor: We will not leave anyone without a roof over their heads

No one will be left on the street. We are trying in every possible way to help and ease the situation for people whose houses were damaged in landslides, said Edin Smajić, mayor of Vogošća municipality, in a statement to the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

During the unprecedented floods and landslides that hit a large part of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May, more than 140 landslides, cracks and slips were triggered in Vogošća. According to geologists, 40 of them are high-risk. 23 houses were demolished or damaged. Dozens of people were evacuated from their homes.

But now that the storm has stopped, geologists and other experts have their hands full. They work daily on collecting documentation and finding the best solution for the remediation of endangered terrains. It is a huge job. Some houses will be able to be repaired, most of them are permanently destroyed.

- I hope we will have the strength to remediate at least the key landslides by autumn – Smajić told NAP.

- For some, we already have the documentation ready – he added. The Vogošća landslide, which on May 15 destroyed eight houses in the Svrake settlement and damaged several others, is under special monitoring by experts. The images from Svrake were the first harbingers of the unprecedented natural disaster that would hit BiH. The footage of eight houses disappearing in just a few seconds in this place went viral across the entire region.

- Experts from the Institute for Construction of the Sarajevo Canton and the Vogošća Municipality are there. We are monitoring the situation and looking for the best solution for that part of the settlement – Smajić explains.

Smajić says that the municipality, with all its services, has been trying to help the affected people since day one. No one has been forgotten. A few days ago, 23 families with 72 members were accommodated in apartments in the newly built Rosulje settlement. Approval for this was given by the Government and the Fund of the Sarajevo Canton. For the most vulnerable, who are unemployed, efforts are being made to secure money for utilities or at least part of the money. They have also been provided with basic furniture.

- From the first day, these people had hotel accommodation. Now they have been allocated new apartments, which they will use for one year. During that time, our services will work on finding a permanent solution for our fellow citizens. No one will be forgotten – Smajić told Patria.