Unity is not a word commonly associated with the Balkans. But last week, faced with the disastrous floods that have hit the region with unprecedented force, the affected countries of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia truly found themselves united. The floods were brought by a cyclone that hovered over the region for three days, pouring as much rain on the countries as normally falls in three months. The consequences were devastating. River levels reached historic highs unseen since the 19th century when records began. Fields, streets and houses were flooded, and cities and villages across the region were submerged. A million people have been affected by the floods, half a million have been displaced, and scores have died. The situation is the worst in Bosnia and Serbia, where a total of 54 bodies have been found so far, 33 in Serbia and 21 in Bosnia. In Croatia, two people have lost their lives. The destruction happened extremely fast, leaving people with little time to react. Reports state that after the first warning sirens went off, there was often less than half an hour before the water reached the buildings. The fact that the floods happened before sunrise also meant that many people did not hear the warning sirens and were instead awakened by the sound of water coming in underneath the doors and windows of their houses. A massive evacuation then ensued, with more than 30,000 people being taken to shelters in Serbia, with this number paling in comparison to Bosnia where 100,000 people had to be rescued from the rising waters. As most of the roads were flooded, the only way to reach those stranded was by water or air. It took five days for hundreds of boats and dozens of helicopters working around the clock to take everyone to safety. The authorities say that the death toll could have been lower had everyone evacuated their houses as soon as the rescue teams had come to pick them up. But many believed that the water would not reach them on the upper floors of their houses, as they had never seen such high waters before, and thus they chose to stay until it was too late. The tragedy has prompted huge civic engagement in the countries concerned. In what has turned out to be a powerful show of solidarity, prime minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic called for 1,500 men from the country's capital Belgrade to go to the city of Sabac to help build sandbag walls along the river. Ten thousand people volunteered. Thousands of people volunteered to fill sandbags day and night, working alongside police and soldiers. Others helped in evacuation centres. Citizen-organised websites sprung up to help connect the rescue teams with the victims. Millions of people donated money by sending SMS messages to government charity numbers, and people and companies sent food, water and supplies to those affected. Such scenes could be seen everywhere in the region. Even the states concerned showed remarkable solidarity with one another. Croatia, itself fighting the floods, sent money to Serbia and Bosnia. Serbia sent food, blankets and equipment to Bosnia, and Bosnia sent special rescue teams to Serbia. For countries that were at war only two decades ago, these gestures were quite a step forward. As a result, commentators say, there may be an upside to this tragedy in the knowledge that when push comes to shove people will act together to overcome political differences. However, this optimism may be hard to keep up when confronted with the sheer volume of the destruction that has taken place. In Bosnia, a country of four million people, one million have been affected one way or another. And though the precise damage is yet to be determined, first estimates put the bills at around $1.9 billion in Bosnia, $1.4 billion in Serbia and $90 million in Croatia. Though these figures may seem moderate when viewed through the prism of a rich country, for the Balkan states things are different. According to the World Bank, the combined GDP of Bosnia and Serbia is just $55 billion, about a fifth of Egypt's. In that context, an unexpected cost of $3.3 billion is vast. The governments of both countries have called for international help to meet the crisis, and Norway has already committed two million euros to both Bosnia and Serbia, with other countries also pledging assistance. In a sign of developing relations with Serbia, the UAE has pledged $10 million to Belgrade, while Bosnia is talking to Russia about getting help. However, the greatest expectations are from the European Union. With both Serbia and Bosnia eager to join the EU, all eyes are on Brussels. So far, the EU has sent equipment, rescue forces and supplies, but the amount of money it is ready to commit is as yet undetermined. Serbia, a candidate state for EU membership, is in a better position procedurally and can apply for European solidarity funds, though these have also been promised to Bosnia. Croatia, already a member state, can count on full European support. Though officially there has been no word of the amounts involved, Serbia may be able to count on no more than 150 million euros from the EU. With the total damage estimated at about 1 billion euros, the country will have to find ways to pay for most of the costs by itself. Vucic has already said that Serbia can expect to cover up to 25 per cent of the costs of the damage from donations, but not more. People in the Balkans are already looking for ways to restore their countries despite the cash-strapped environment. Ideas such as having thousands of men volunteer to do construction work for free or companies selling building materials at cost have been springing up, these being treated as reasonable and feasible. The authorities have opened bank accounts for donations from individuals and corporations, and the government of Serbia has also created a PayPal account at floodrelief.gov.rs to make it easier for people worldwide to make donations. Keeping this enthusiasm going once the rivers withdraw to their banks and life goes back to normal, will, however, remain a significant challenge for the countries concerned.
