Flood victims promised "new homes by winter"

Flood victims promised "new homes by winter"

BELGRADE -- A preliminary report on the scope of the damage and financial losses from the May floods will be ready on Monday, July 7, Marko Blagojević has announced.

"The estimates we have had so far say that the damage and the needs will be multiple times higher than the money we have at our disposal," Blagojević, who heads the government's office in charge of reconstruction and aid to the flood-affected areas, told Pink TV.

He added that the office has on its account EUR 30 million.

According to Blagojević, all houses destroyed in the floods will be repaired by October 15.

The building of "a small settlement" has started in Obrenovac, he stated, and added that construction of 150 to 200 houses will commence later this month. These homes will be financed with the money received through donations, he explained.

"Everyone left homeless will have a new house come next winter," Blagojević said, and revealed that the number of houses that collapsed during the floods was "about 200 less than the original figure of 625."