Good morning everyone.
The Operational Unit held a meeting again this morning, in which we took stock of the work done yesterday and set out the tasks for today. The good news is that the forecasts have proved to be correct, with no significant rainfall in the last two days and a forecast of continued rainless, late summer weather. This will help us in the defence operations. On the River Lajta/Leitha, a long ten-hour peak has just come to an end. We have continued successful operations during the peak, so as time goes by the situation there will improve. According to reports received this morning, the peak water level will be in the Komárom area. There, on that section of the Danube, the same will be true as on the River Lajta/Leitha: a slow ebb is expected. As far as the extent of defence operations is concerned, yesterday we had 614 kilometres of defences, and now we have 754 kilometres, so we have increased Level 1 defences by 68 kilometres. And we have ordered Level 3 defences – the highest level of defence – for a further 114 kilometres. The forecasts for the peak water level have proved to be accurate. Something we tend to underestimate – or that you do not write about and we do not talk about – is that the key to everything is forecasting. Because if you do not have accurate forecasting, you cannot plan well; and if you cannot plan well, you cannot measure the level of protection needed. But, thank God, so far – and this also applies to yesterday – all the forecasts have been right, with the highest water levels differing from them by only 1–2 centimetres.
Mobilised workforce. Yesterday we mobilised an extra 50 people from the water management sector, an extra 600 people from the emergency services, and an extra 150 people from citizens’ patrol groups. A total of 6,149 people – these are the professionals – were working yesterday, which represents an increase of 321. The number of volunteers was 2,753, while the previous figure was over 4,000 – so the number of volunteers is down. But the reason for this is not that people are less concerned about defence operations and are not volunteering, but that the low flood barriers are complete and existing barriers have already been heightened. So we have done the sandbagging and the classic physical work. The volunteers who are available now can help most if they are involved in the monitoring service and patrols. This is because, as I said yesterday, the danger does not disappear with the peak water level: problems and beaches most commonly occur during periods of ebbing water levels, and these can be prevented by monitoring and patrols. Yesterday we opened the flood defence hotline, and received more than 400 calls. This means that people are still ready to help, and their work will be coordinated by the water management staff on the ground.
As far as the material backing for the defence operations, I mean the physical materials, yesterday we filled 311,000 more sandbags than we filled the day before yesterday. This means that so far we have laid 1,862,500 sandbags.
Difficult locations for the defence operations. Pilismarót. There we laid 20,000 new sandbags yesterday. I see that the official figure for the low sandbag barrier is that it is 99 per cent complete. The water management staff probably want to say 100, but they also know that nothing is perfect, and so here we will take that small possibility into consideration and say we are 99 per cent complete. On the protection of the main road, Route 11, I have received a report that alternative road traffic routes have been provided. So if the water makes it difficult or impossible to travel on the main road, alternative routes have been provided, they have been opened. In Tahitótfalu defence is 100 per cent complete, in the village of Leányfalu yesterday it was 97 per cent complete, and today that figure has gone up to 100 per cent. In Vác 1,500 metres of defences had to be built, and there too the level of defence has been raised from 90 per cent yesterday to 100 per cent today. The situation is the same for Kismaros. This morning I also heard the report on Margaret Island. I can report that everything there is also in order. A new aspect of the Operational Unit’s work is that now we are also looking downstream of Budapest. So up until now we needed to deal with the upper stretches of the Danube, but now we have also had to check the flood defences south of Budapest. It looks like we have to work in three places: Báta, Dunaszekcső and Baja. Our experts, under the leadership of the Director-General, say that south of Budapest the water level will not exceed the highest recorded level. In Dunaszekcső the flood defences are 100 per cent complete. But work is still needed at Petőfi Island in Baja. There is a barrier there, it is 2,750 metres long, and we have to increase its height. We have completed 85 per cent of it, and we will have to work there over the next few days. I found everything in order when I inspected the defences in person yesterday in Kisoroszi and Pócsmegyer. In Kisoroszi we did not need to strengthen the defences, but we had to prepare reserves, and this has been done. We are better off than we were in 2013, with 6,500 sandbags in reserve. We have also laid 5,000 bags in Pócsmegyer, and there I checked the necessary heightening of the flood barrier, which yesterday afternoon was close to 100 per cent. The task for the weekend is to maintain the level of readiness, and not to allow that level to drop. Monitoring and patrols. I have asked all our Members of Parliament, volunteers and mayors to organise the monitoring service and ensure continuous patrols, so that attention does not waver and discipline does not slacken. This is the hardest thing. When one feels that one has got over the worst, that is when one’s attention wanes, and that is when trouble strikes. This is what we have to avoid, and as a result the Operational Unit is working continuously.
Thank you for your attention.