Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán toured two towns yesterday to see how flood preparation was going and talk to locals.
“Where we are now will soon turn into a sea,” he says in a video posted on his TikTok channel. As to agriculture, everything that could be was harvested, but 200 to 300 hectares of valuable agricultural land will be flooded, he added before thanking the people of Kaposvár, who ensure the emergency preparedness for the isolated settlement of Kisoroszi.
The prime minister took a motorboat to the settlement surrounded by the flood, where he also spoke with the local residents participating in the defense.
There are now 1,032 people in the village threatened by the flooding of the Danube, but everyone is safe because the defense is effective and efficient, he says in the video.
Orbán also inspected flood protection in Pócsmegyer with MP Eszter Vitályos and spoke with the water officers responsible there, posting a video of his visit to Facebook.
“The Lajta will peak at the Mosonmagyórávr this morning, which is likely to be the highest water level in the case of the river. The Danube is expected to crest today in the Dunaremete region, at the height of Mosonmagyaróvár,” he clarified yesterday in a press conference.
“Attention must not wane even after the highest water level has passed, this will have to be enforced by water experts,” he emphasized, adding that “the good news is that no rain is expected in the next week, which means that the tide will not be replenished.”
Orbán told the press that the number of professional personnel participating in the defense was increased by 1,436 compared to Wednesday, meaning 5,828 people are already working on defense; in total there are 15,353 registered volunteers as well if needed, he reported.
Just this morning, the prime minister held another press conference, announcing that the number of professionals working on protection had increased yet again to a total of 6,149 yesterday. He also said “all the forecasts have been correct, there is only a difference of one or two centimeters at the highest water levels” and that as expected, there has been no further rainfall either.
As to receiving aid from the EU, PM Orbán said: “If we were to wait for Brussels to help us out of trouble, we would be up to our necks in water.”
The government does not anticipate extra funds will be required for the cost of its flood protection efforts because this is planned in the budget every year. There is the cost of compensation for water damage, which will be determined at the end of the flood, but they do not expect this to be anything major.
As to the salaries of the water experts, this will need to be handled, the prime minister said.
The prime minister noted on Thursday that past investments in flood protection mechanisms, including €1.04 billion after the 2013 floods, have resulted in “serious and important” gains. Nevertheless, work would continue in areas of weakness.
In addition to reinforcing protection around Esztergom, Orbán announced that they will have to build a mobile dam system in Kismaros, and defense works will also be built on some smaller remaining sections of the Danube. “It gives greater peace of mind if we have a permanent defense system from Budapest to the western border of the country, “ he said.
This morning, he noted how much calmer Hungarians have been versus the atmosphere back in 2013 and responded to one reporter’s question by saying that “it is a Hungarian characteristic for crises to bring us together.”
