Scientology Volunteer Ministers of Budapest Helping to Protect the City

With the worst floods in recent history predicted for Hungary, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers of the Church of Scientology of Budapest mobilized their disaster relief team last week to assist local officials to cope with the crisis and prevent it becoming a disaster.

The Budapest Volunteer Ministers, who worked with the emergency relief teams during the Hungarian floods four years ago, contacted officials in the fire department and the catastrophe handling office to volunteer their assistance.

The first call for help came the next day. Not far from Budapest, in the town of Szentendre, the Danube River was rising faster than anyone had ever seen. Unless immediate action was taken, the entire town would be submerged by the torrent. Thirty Volunteer Ministers rushed to the scene to help reinforce the river banks with sandbags and transport food and other supplies to the hundreds of firemen and other volunteers working to protect the town.

After a full day’s work, when the immediate danger was handled, the Volunteer Ministers were about to return to their homes to sleep when they became aware of another crisis.

The Danube River runs through Budapest and right in the center of the city is a famous landmark called Margit island. As they approached it they could see the island was at risk and they hurried to join the emergency personnel on the scene. Just as they arrived a new team of Volunteer Ministers joined them and they all worked with the firemen who were building a barricade of sandbags. The urgency of the situation was heightened by the fact that the terrain slopes downward toward the center of the island: if the barricade failed and the water broke through, the whole island — the people, houses, parks and hotels- would disappear below the flood waters. By the time the barricade was strong enough to protect the island, the first team of Volunteer Ministers had been working for 30 hours straight.

The next day the flood level was still rising and the town of Szentendre was once again in danger. Although the barricade was high enough, the constant flow of water had started to wear away at its base and if that went the town would be under water within minutes. Because of the potential danger, only soldiers, divers and official flood prevention personnel were permitted entry to the area — with one exception. The Volunteer Ministers had proved their value with their earlier assistance and were asked to stay.

That night the flood broke through several times, but fast, coordinated handling prevented serious damage and the town and lives of those working to protect it were safeguarded. One team of Volunteer Ministers worked through the night and was relieved by a second group in the morning.

The Volunteer Ministers continued with the relief effort till the immediate danger from the flood was handled later that day, and remain on call to jump back in if any further help is needed.