Gazeta Białystok reported that a group of Chechen refugees living in the Białystok Refugee Centers in Poland has returned from Sandomierz which was affected by heavy flood.

Sandomierz, a town in the south-eastern of Poland, which lies on the Vistula River and whose right bank burst during floods there in May and June, was one of the most affected urban areas in Poland, with hundreds of people being forced to evacuate their homes.

A few dozens Chechens went to Sandomierz two weeks ago to deal with the aftermath of the first flood. Once they got there, they could experience the flood personally. After two days of work, the second wave ravaged the city. Chechen refugees helped pack flood banks, unload goods and clean a destroyed city.

The view of this beautiful city under water reminded some Chechens of their own homeland destroyed by war. And so they helped even more eagerly.

28 years old Viskhan, a Chechen refugee, told us with emotion what he saw when he got to Sandomierz. “The water was huge; I saw a similar tragedy in Grozny. The most difficult moment was when we were helping clean the Center for Disabled Children. I felt very sorry for them. Everyone there welcomed us warmly and they thanked us for our help. Some cried,” recalls Viskhan.

Viskhan adds that if there is need, he will call up his friends and they will go to Sandomierz again.

Such a possibility may occur soon as there is a plan to send smaller groups to help. “We want those groups to be more mobile, that’s why we need additional transport, e.g. some buses. If there were any companies or organizations that want to contribute to this enterprise, we are open,” says Ms Katarzyna Potoniec from the Education and Creativity Foundation in Białystok (Fundacji Edukacji i Twórczości).