Toronto’s Serbian community collects for Balkan flood victims
Posted May 19, 2014 6:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Torontonians with ties to Bosnia and Serbia are collecting donations and money to help friends and family back home who are dealing with the worst floods to hit the Balkan region in over 100 years.
At least 35 people have been killed and more than 100,000 homes and buildings have been damaged by flood waters since Sunday.
“Everything is gone, there’s nothing left,” said volunteer Jelana Panic as she boxed goods at St. Sava Serbian Church Centre 2520 Dixie Rd. in Mississauga.
Volunteers are asking for donations of cash and supplies, namely baby food, diapers, clean water, and personal hygiene products.
“We’re looking for as much help as we can possibly get right now,” said volunteer Susan Vicentic. She was born in Belgrade and has not been able to call relatives back home since phone lines have been down following the devastation.
Bosnian foreign minister Zlatko Lagumdzija said more than 1-million people have been cut off from supplies in that country.
He compared the physical destruction to “not less than the destruction caused by the war,” referring to the three-year war following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
The Canadian Red Cross says they are now accepting donations to help those affected by flooding in the Balkans.
Officials say the Red Cross Societies of both countries have been taking part in rescue operations and setting up relief centers for those evacuated.
The Canadian Red Cross says they are on stand-by with both personnel and supplies if requested.
Click here to make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross.
Click here to make a donation to the Red Cross of Serbia.
Click here for more information on donations.
