The head of the Ministry of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said that 19,000 soldiers are currently directly involved in the fight against floods, including: strengthening embankments and removing damage. He assured that the army would remain in the flood-affected areas as long as necessary.
At the evening meeting of crisis personnel in Wrocław, Kosiniak-Kamysz assured that the army was carrying out all the tasks assigned to it in all areas.
He listed that the military participates in “strengthening the embankments, assisting in evacuation, carrying out preventive patrols, providing medical assistance, removing damage, engineering works and disinfection”.
The minister reported that at the moment 19,922 soldiers are directly involved in the operations. These include: soldiers of the general command, operational troops, territorial defense, the Ground Forces Academy and the Military Aviation Academy.
According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, this is the largest military operation in 30 years.
Never before have so many soldiers been involved in an operation, in one place, in a very limited area
– he emphasized, thanking the support.
The Deputy Prime Minister announced that 4,000 people have been evacuated so far. 538 people.
Kosiniak-Kamysz recalled that a special operation called “Feniks” was launched on Thursday. Its aim is to rebuild the regions of Poland destroyed by the floods.
It is very important to clean everything possible in the next few days. It improves functioning in the immediate environment.
– he pointed.
“Operation Phoenix is scheduled for the end of the year.”
He assured that the army would remain in the areas affected by the floods for as long as necessary.
There is no limit here. Operation Phoenix is planned until the end of the year, but if necessary, the army will simply stay here longer.
– said the minister.
Kosiniak-Kamysz also spoke about the medical support provided by the army, for which the deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk is responsible. The head of the Ministry of National Defense announced that the Nysa hospital was fully operational and one of the first patients was a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
He is prepared for triage, supplies, assistance and minor procedures.
— reported the situation at the hospital.
The minister said that the army is also present in mobile clinics.
They reach the places that need it most, like Lewin Brzeski. Today it is still 50%. The city was still submerged. There will also be a mobile clinic there and in the most difficult to access places.
– he explained.
As I said, the army has already assembled “largely” the structures needed to build bridges, which will take 4 to 5 days.
And this will be the case in the 12 localities characterized so far. If there are new reports, we ask the voivodes to provide this information as soon as possible.
– he appealed.
Kosiniak-Kamysz added that the mobile army has secured 24 water treatment plants.
A water treatment plant, ensuring access to water and sewage – this is one of the biggest challenges we face today. And the coordination of these activities, because the water collection is in one municipality, it is supplied to other municipalities
— he said and emphasized the importance of coordination at the district level.
The army is now moving towards the wave that goes against the current. Therefore, there is clearing and securing embankments in places where there is no more water. The number of units increases. And downstream, reinforcing embankments, where necessary, before the arrival of the flood wave. All these activities are planned sequentially.
— reported the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
tkwl/PAP
READ ALSO:
– ONLY WITH US. What is the format of the “crisis meetings” with the participation of the Prime Minister? We have the answer from the Government Information Center
— Tusk admits that von der Leyen promised money that was owed to Poland anyway! “We would not be able to release them for various reasons.”
