Signing donation agreements with flooded homeowners 

An elderly lady, whose entire house was completely flooded, looks at the donation agreement and, with her voice filled with emotion, says, “In Slovakia, we’re not used to seeing someone help others selflessly, to give them something for free…”

Several weeks have passed since the devastating floods hit Slovakia in mid-September. During this time, our teams have been visiting the most affected villages, meeting people who have experienced varying degrees of damage to their homes.

During our initial visits, we assessed the extent of the damage, and our meetings with people were full of emotions — anger, despair, and scepticism. By the time of our final field visits, as we asked them to sign the donation agreements, the atmosphere had transformed into one of joy and heartfelt gratitude. But let’s start from the beginning.

The people of Slovakia once again demonstrated their solidarity by donating more than €100,000 through a fundraising campaign to help those affected by the floods. Corporate and institutional donors contributed over €250,000 in aid. In total, we have raised more than €350,000. We are currently in the process of distributing these funds to affected households, who will receive contributions of €1,000 and €2,000.

In summary, about a month after the floods, we have reached a point where the funds from our generous donors are finally being distributed to those most affected.

When water takes its toll

As we signed the donation agreements, we witnessed tremendous humility, gratitude, and even tears of joy. We often heard phrases like, “It’s not something we’re used to in Slovakia – someone helping you selflessly, giving you something for free.” These people are facing repair costs in the thousands to rebuild their damaged homes, with many tapping into their life savings. Some are still cleaning up the remaining mud, others are waiting for contractors to become available, while a few are repairing and renovating on their own, as best as they can

This is how our colleague Katarína from the Communication Department described the field visits.

In the coming weeks, many of these people – around 70 households – will receive financial support from us to help cover at least some of the damage caused by the floods. One of them is an elderly lady from Borinka, whom we’ve mentioned in our previous posts. She lives alone in a house surrounded by a stream on two sides, and the floods have inundated her basement, garden, and garage. To pay for the repairs, which she estimates to be in the thousands of euros, she’s already dipped into her savings and sold her shares. She still has a lot of work to do – scraping off plaster and paint as well as replacing the fence. She was overjoyed to receive our help and knows exactly how she’ll use it.

We were sitting on our bed, waiting for the rain to stop

A few streets down, we’re greeted by a middle-aged man who offers us a cup of coffee. He lives in the house with his wife, son, and other relatives. The floodwaters had completely inundated their ground floor. A few weeks ago, the interior was in a terrible state, but now it’s clear that the homeowners really put in the work. The walls are dry and freshly painted, everything has been cleaned, and the furniture and belongings are back in their original place. With a smile on his face, the man signs the donation agreement and tells us about all the work still to be done around the house and property. In the nearby forest, we hear the sound of a fallow deer rutting; it’s time to move on to the next household.

A lovely couple has had their cozy bungalow in the woods completely flooded. They spent five days on their bed, without electricity or water. “I don’t even know how we got through it. We were so shocked by the flood that we just sat there, waiting for the water to recede,” recalls the wife, describing how a massive black cloud hung over them, raining relentlessly for five days. They plan to use the money to replace the floors throughout the house.

Sofa, fridge, carpets…

Roman, an elderly widower, is still sweeping mud and dust from the front of his house. When he sees us, he’s happy to let us in and begins recounting that unforgettable night when the water suddenly flooded his home. At the last moment, he jumped out of an open window in his pyjamas and slippers, struggling through the flooded road to reach his daughter’s car, which took him to safety.

On his tablet, Roman shows us photos and videos of the devastating flood that swept through Borinka, his street, and his entire home. Among other things, the water completely destroyed his furniture. He’s already had to dip into his savings to replace the walls and floors, but he still needs much more — a new sofa, a fridge, carpets… We hope that financial support from People in Peril will help him minimise the damage.

Our final stop on this visit. Once again, a friendly elderly man greets us at the door, his dog happily wagging its tail. He tells us that, in addition to the typical flood damage to the house, walls, and floors, he and his wife lost their computers and other household items to the water. He signs the contract and expresses his gratitude, thanking us for being an organisation that truly helps and makes a difference during times of crisis. As we say goodbye, we leave with a sense of fulfilment, reassured that our work truly makes a meaningful impact — something we’ve just witnessed firsthand, five times in a row.

We plan to allocate additional resources to support local governments, either by directly covering the costs of reconstruction and revegetation or by providing equipment to improve their capacity to prevent or respond effectively to future floods, such as pumps, dryers, and firefighting gear for volunteers.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all our generous donors and supporters, whose contributions make these stories of hope and joy possible for those in need.