The majority of streets and houses in the village of Stajkovci have been cleaned. More than 85% of the houses have been disinfected. The citizens, whose homes and properties have been flooded and damaged by the freak storm that hit the Skopje region on Aug. 6, are expected soon to start receiving compensation for their damages.

Visiting the villages of Stajkovci and Indzikovo on Tuesday, Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev was briefed by members of the Macedonian Army (ARM) about on-the-ground developments. He said a large amount of money should be paid to compensate the damages stressing that the most important thing was to help flood-hit residents cope with the aftermath.

“At the moment, efforts are being made to start paying advance compensation. The government is regulating the manner in which advance payments should be made since many people do not have transaction accounts. As soon as damage assessments reports are completed, payment of compensations will be launched. A large sum of budget funds will be singled out, but we must demonstrate solidarity and understanding,” stressed Dimitriev.

The Macedonian PM was accompanied by Defense Minister Zoran Jolevski, Labour Minister Dime Spasov and the mayors of Skopje and the Municipality of Gazi Baba, Koce TRajanovski and Toni Trajkovski respectively.

In addition to ARM servicemen, volunteers employed in state institutions are also engaged in flood relief efforts. Somewhere between 750 and 1,100 volunteers are helping flood-stricken residents on daily basis.

Nearly 370 houses have been assessed so far in the village of Indzikovo after it was also severely hit by the storm. The damage assessment procedure is expected to be completed by Thursday at the latest. Moreover, 260 houses have been disinfected.