BRATISLAVA, August 2, (WEBNOVINY) — Over two hundred soldiers of the Slovak Armed Forces helped with cleaning up the mess after flash floods this July, using army vehicles as well as chain-saws. The cost of their deployment was about 7,000 euros. “It is necessary to realize that this is money intended for training the armed forces. No one gives us a single cent from the state budget for such form of aid,” Defense Minister Lubomir Galko complained. “In spite of this, we did not hesitate and have sent our troops to affected areas as soon as it was possible,” he added.
According to Galko, it became a rule that in crisis situations, municipalities ask the armed forces for help. “There is no better proof that Slovakia simply needs a functional army,” the minister emphasized, explaining, that although it is not the armed forces’ primary mission, helping people in crisis situations is one of their jobs. He, however, thinks that the military should be one of the last resorts in such situations.
212 soldiers were deployed in Sasovske Podhradie near Ziar nad Hronom and in Vinohrady nad Vahom to help after heavy rains caused floods there last month. The military acted beyond their duties in both cases, helping to clean up private land and houses. According to MoD spokesman Ivan Rudolf, the primary task of the armed forces in such situations is to secure critical infrastructure and to prevent further damages.
SITA