Angels in human skin – a real army of angels. Sometimes it is not known where they come from, or what their name is, but together they help to cope with the disaster. Volunteers in flooded areas are an incredible force – they give what they can, they do nothing in return, and they do good.
They drop in, clean up, and move on. From house to house. Sometimes you don't even know where they came from or what their names are.
– We had a girl and a boy and they worked so hard and left so quietly that we didn't even have time to thank them – says Mrs. Joanna.
– We are coming to the rescue on the second day – says Bruno Czarnecki. Natalia, Michał, Max and Bruno have come to help with their entire family and are bringing in whoever they can.
Instead of a vacation – hard work
Mr. Michał is an entrepreneur and a ju-jitsu trainer, and this is a martial art that proves that a small and weak person can effectively defend themselves against a large and strong aggressor. The flood is the aggressor, and volunteers are an army of people who help to pick themselves up after defeat.
– Congratulations to all Poles for coming together and for such help – says Michał Łapka, a volunteer from Wrocław.
They gather through word of mouth or social media. For a week, for two, or even for a weekend. Instead of a vacation, instead of time off – hard work.
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– Everyone is approaching the subject consciously. We have settled near Stronie Śląskie, 70 people, two excavators and we are working bravely – says Dawid Sobania, a volunteer from Poznań.
A convoy with people to work, medical support and heavy equipment, which is needed more and more with each passing day, has arrived from Małopolska. Unburdened by this shock, this stress, this trauma that the flood victims carry, they are like a storm.
There are also volunteers supporting volunteers
– They were here all night to be with the equipment in the morning. A truck with HDS, a hooklift, a 12-ton telescopic handler with operators – says Agnieszka Ulatowska from the “Historia Vita” Foundation.
– Scouts also came, I forgot where from, but they did a great job. They were there for less than two days, and they cleaned four or five apartments to perfection – says Mikołaj Pluta from the Voluntary Labor Corps in Kłodzko.
There are also volunteers supporting volunteers. While some are working, others are worrying about what to prove.
– I'm from Wałbrzych – says one of the volunteers. – We're from Łódź – another volunteer agrees.
Mr. Tomasz and his friends returned home to Łaziska Górne only, as they say, “to change clothes”, but they will be back soon. To Bodzanów and Polski Świętów.
– It seems to us that these small towns need this help the most. Most people are simply drawn to those popular places that are the most talked about – comments Tomasz Zabrażan, a volunteer from Łaziska Górne.
Hats off to you!
In the first days of the flood, Mr. Łukasz used his small helicopter to rescue people trapped by the water and deliver medicines, and is still on guard.
– My parents taught me that it is very important to simply be a good person – says Łukasz Wilk, a helicopter pilot.
– Eight people came from Bielawa, Dzierżoniów, Wrocław, Katowice. People came in by chance and started helping, so thanks, ladies and gentlemen – says a resident of Bardo, Kamil Chodała.
Main image source: TVN24