Why your help is needed
Up to two million people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are thought to have been affected by the worst flooding in over a century.
A State of Emergency was declared in parts of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia after three months’ worth of rainfall triggered devastating floods and landslides during May.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, communities were cut off and tens thousands of homes left without electricity or drinking water. At least 2,000 landslides buried homes and destroyed vital infrastructure. Thousands were evacuated, and it is thought up to 10,000 may not be able to return home.
Around 100,000 homes and 230 schools and hospitals are thought to have been destroyed or badly damaged. Entire villages are currently uninhabitable. Hundreds of kilometres of roads are unusable, and crops wiped out. Minefields have been exposed and warning notices washed away.
Conditions in the north of the country are particularly acute, with a high demand for drinking water reported. Around 600 orphaned children sponsored by Islamic Relief are in areas affected by the crisis.
At least 33 people are reported to have died, with the death toll expected to rise as the full extent of the devastation begins to emerge.
In the weeks after the disaster, the risk of dangerous infectious diseases – including anthrax, West Nile virus, and abdominal infections – has increased further.
According to government estimates, infrastructure damage runs to billions of Euros, a figure which could top the cost of the devastating Bosnian War in the 90s. Coupled with a major blow to national productivity, this has seriously affected the country’s economy. Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost already, in the worst-affected areas, and many small-to-medium enterprises are suffering.
At a glance
- Worst floods since records began, 120 years ago
- At least 2,000 landslides
- Up to two million people affected
- 10,000 homes and other buildings destroyed or badly damaged
- 600 orphaned children sponsored by Islamic Relief are affected
Thousands of vulnerable families have already been reached by Islamic Relief, but many more need help.
With your support, we can provide life-saving aid to families affected by the floodwaters. Please donate to our Bosnia Emergency Appeal today.