Natural disasters are a stark reminder of the Earth’s ongoing changes. As climate change accelerates, natural disasters frequency increases and weather flunctuations are rapid and radical. Despite Bulgaria’s common hail season, the past hailstorm in Shipka on June 13th exemplifies the power of natural disasters and the reality of the climate crisis. The storm has severely affected the village, causing damage to houses, car and gardens. After seeing its unprecedented nature, I thought it is important both to inform to the broader international community and to seek ways to prevent future harm.
Before arriving, Bulgaria was little known to me. After accepting the volunteer position, one of my goals was to get to know the culture and environment while contributing to the efforts to mitigate the storm’s impact. Since then, I have learned different facts about the country, such as that hail is a common occurrence and that strong winds are usual in the Rose Valley. This past hailstorm was completely different, however, as hail rockets were the size of an egg and there was stronger wind than usual. This mix of hail and wind left houses -especially roofs-, car windows, and metal sheets severely damaged and flooded. Similarly, gardens were almost destroyed, dumping all the year’s crops.
In the aftermath of the storm, community nets have fostered mutual help in several ways, especially the exchange of materials such tiles and plants. Volunteers, including myself, have contributed in the temporary repair of the local community center Svetlina-1861’s roof. The regional and national government initiated the application for certain grants yet just a few neighbors have receive them so far. Some of these grants are slow to process and some have receive them because they had their property insured; this is why continual help in form of volunteering and donations is still appreciated.
Experiencing the consequences of the storm has allowed me to learn and reflect on a wide range of things. First, mutual help is essential for a community to thrive, especially when governmental assistance is not immediate. In Shipka, mutual help has been strong and there is a general spirit of independence shown by doing things oneself instead of waiting for others. Second, I have learned the importance of paying attention to the climate of the places we live. The awareness of the Rose Valley’s climate, which tends to have strong winds and draught, has previously led to reforestation and that can helped to protect the valley to some degree, although this time was rather difficult.
These learnings have also led me to think about the importance of great designs and caring about our surroundings. Cutting trees; improving the ways we build our houses and using better material; and even the management of water systems to avoid floods are all practices and ideas that can help to reduce the damage by at least a minimum… Furthermore, greater assistance such as having available and ready-to-use hail-missile rocks in order to prevent great damage seems essential.
If you would like to donate, please consider the following options:
Bank transfer:
holder – People’s Community Center “Svetlina -1861” – town of Shipka
IBAN -BG64STSA93000028377840
BIC – STSABGS
Reason – For reconstruction of the roof
SMS: With one SMS at a price of BGN 2 to the number 17777 and keywords DMS SHIPKA.
Online donation or subscription: https://dmsbg.com/
Your help is much appreciated.