THE PRESS OFFICE OF THE ROMANIAN PATRIARCHATE informs us:

Following the Appeal of the Romanian Patriarchate to prayer and Christian solidarity with those affected by the floods in the Northeast of the country (30 June 2010), the hierarchs, priests, monks and faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church from the country and abroad organize fund raisings and material donations for helping the families affected by the floods.

The social-charitable departments of the Archdiocese of Iasi, of the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti and of the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacau, coordinated by the Social Assistance Office of the Metropolitan See of Moldova and Bucovina, as well as other eparchies and parishes of the Romanian Patriarchate, have distributed so far hundreds of tones of durable aliments, bread, cakes, sweets, mineral water, cereals, potatoes, clothes, furniture, appliances, construction materials and other assets badly needed to the families affected, with the assistance of the parish priests in the respective localities.

Soon after the merciless overflowing of the waters, the Archdiocese of Iasi granted first aid to the families affected by the floods in the counties of Iasi, Neamt and Botosani. Special heed was paid to the assistance of the victims of the floods in Dorohoi city, county of Botosani, the locality most affected in this Archdiocese. Several homeless families continue to be hosted by the hostel of the Orthodox Theological Seminary of Dorohoi, till the houses destroyed by floods are rebuilt.

The Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti rebuilds at present 28 houses at Dornesti and 10 other dwelling places in Zamostea and Zvoristea, the localities most affected by the floods in the county of Suceava.

The Archdiocese of Roman and Bacau assisted the people affected by floods in the parishes of the eparchy with durable aliments water, clothes and construction materials, with special heed paid to the serious situation in Sanduleni commune, county of Bacau.

The Archdiocese of Lower Danube provided shelter and two meals a day for two weeks, to over 800 gendarmes and militaries who consolidated the dams on the Rivers Danube, Siret and Prut.

Till 9 August 2010, natural persons, parishes and legal persons contributed so far with over 400,000 lei in the accounts of the Romanian Patriarchate opened at the Romanian Commercial Bank, branch Sector 4, Bucharest for the victims of the floods:
RO54RNCB0075004895030091(Lei),
RO27RNCB0075004895030092(Euro),
RO97RNCB0075004895030093(USD)

Therefore, the working session of the Standing Meeting of the Church National Council of 5 August 2010, decided to allot 300.000 lei, as follows: to the Archdiocese of Iasi (100 000 lei), to the Archdiocese of Suceava and Radauti (100 000) and to the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacau (100 000 lei), in order to continue the reconstruction or repair works of the houses affected by floods and to aid the families affected.

After the fund raising is ended, the funds raised from the Orthodox parishes from the country and abroad will be laid, through the eparchial centres, in the three accounts of the Romanian Patriarchate mentioned above. Later on, the social-charitable department of the Romanian Patriarchate will distribute the respective amounts in order to keep on helping the families affected as soon as the eparchies in the areas affected present the concrete state of the damages caused by floods.

The working session of the Holy Synod to be held at the end of October 2010, will register and publish, based on the reports sent by the Romanian Orthodox eparchies from the country and abroad, the precise situation of the financial and material aid the clergy and faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Church granted to the families affected by floods this year.

The Romanian Patriarchate thanks all those who have already answered or are going to answer the appeal to Christian solidarity with the families affected by the floods in 2010, mostly in the Northeast of Romania.