The Polish army has not operated on specified a scale in decades. First thousands of soldiers were thrown to the south of Poland to fight the flood, then, erstwhile the large water subsided, cleaning and reconstruction began. The military assures us that it will stay in the flood grounds as long as the locals request it.
The crane came to Deaf in the mediate of the night. On the spot, he was loaded and since the dawn began work. At 7 o'clock, the first component of the bridge went up. Specialists assessed his condition, checked whether he would bend properly, and whether there were any contraindications to setting him up on pre-preparedheads. “This required large precision,” admits Colonel Arkadiusz Syrotski, Deputy Commander of the 2nd Engineering Regiment, who oversaw the task. “The crane operator must have hit the bearings perfectly installed on the fronts,” he adds. Within a fewer hours, the temporary DMS-65 bridge connected both banks of the White Deaf.
However, the construction did not end there. For the following days, soldiers on the skeleton of the structure arranged nearly 150 road plates, each weighing 220 kg. The elements were given by the crane, but the assembly itself was a tedious, hand job. At the same time, a civilian company cooperating with the military installed driveways for cars. Eventually, the bridge was commissioned in late October. For the residents, the first cars passing through the river were like a sign – normality is slow returning to Dłuchołaz.
The crossing itself consists of 2 strands, a dimension of 36 m and a burden capacity of over 40 t. “We prepare for akin tasks during regular training. We work mainly for the military, but we have already intervened in natural disasters. We placed temporary crossings 11 years ago in Jelenia Góra and a year before the flood that ravaged Slovenia. Thus, it can be said that building bridges is simply a regular bread for us – said Colonel Syrocki. Yet, the work in the Deaf had a unique dimension. And not only due to the tremendous burden of emotions that accompany them. Setting up the bridge has become 1 of the most crucial tasks of Operation Feniks, which in the fresh past of the Polish army is an unprecedented undertaking.
Faster than the wave
The drama was played in front of all of Poland. He was immortalized on recordings that 24-hour tv stations and online portals repeated almost endlessly. The raised greyish water virtually washes 2 bridges – solid concrete, which has remained in repair for any time, and placed close temporary. The structures fall apart like card houses and vanish in a stream. Deafheads spread on 2 banks of the river, are cut in half at 1 moment. The demolition of the deaf bridges became a symbol of the cataclysm which visited Poland in the beginning of September. Not the only one, of course. The water flooded respective districts of Kłodzka, ravaged Lądek-Zdrój, swept a large part of the Śląski Site from the ground. Hundreds of towns suffered in the flood – mainly in Opole and Lower Silesia, but besides in the Silesian or Lubuskie voivodships.
From the first days in the conflict with the element, the army was involved. Soldiers from respective territorial defence brigades, but besides operational troops, hit delicate areas. There were floating self-propelled transporters on flooded streets, helicopters rising into the air. Soldiers helped to strengthen the shafts, evacuate residents, supply food and drinking water, monitor the condition of rivers and reservoirs, utilizing frequently the most modern equipment. For example, 1 of the newest acquisitions of the Polish army, the Bayraktar drone from the 12th Base of Unmanned Air Ships in Mirosławec, was operating above threatened areas. The image he recorded went straight to the emergency staff. This made it possible, among others, to monitor the condition of shafts more effectively.
The number of soldiers active in the fight against the flood grew practically all day. “The military has not operated on specified a scale in decades. In the highest period, nearly 26,000 soldiers were separated for her. For comparison, on the border with Belarus, they are stationed on a regular basis from 4 to 5 1000 – noted Brig. Gen. Krzysztof Stańczyk, commander of territorial defence troops who have commanded these forces since the first days. – Initially the biggest challenge for us was logistics. A immense group of soldiers had to be distributed outside the home units, organized social facilities for them, fed, overnighted," he stressed. Invention and planning skills helped. For a time, 3,000 soldiers slept in the 100th anniversary hall of Wrocław. We use, among others, the barracks in Brzeg or Oleśnica, we besides found places in the spa infirmary in Lądek-Zdrój, as stated by Brig. Gen. Stańczyk. The mobile food strategy was besides rapidly launched. Soldiers began utilizing the field kitchens and canteens located in tents. Where it proved impossible, the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate reached an agreement with local catering companies, paying catering.
Except the creature is just the starting point. The military passed the test of flexibility of action, which proved crucial in the essential part of the operation. For the first days and weeks, the pace of events was highly fast. frequently decisions were made from almost an hr to an hour. And it's not just about releasing fresh forces. The wave was moving north, and we had to be 1 step ahead of it. any of the subdivisions with the PTSs [the caterpillar floating transporters] were moved to a place where they were most needed at the moment. Wrocław, Oława, Glogów, Krosno Odrzańskie... The large water's already overtaken. The measles remained in the trough – reported Colonel Krzysztof Jarozek, commander of the 1st Bomber Regiment, and now commander of the Task Force of the Engineering Army, who has been active in the fight against the flood from the very beginning.
However, soldiers themselves frequently became participants in dramatic scenes. Major Wojciech Tyniec from the 1st Bomb Squad arrived on 13 September practically consecutive from the camp. He became commander of the engineering task force "Opole". Initially, he was subject to 35 soldiers, but at 1 point this number grew to nearly a hundred. Their PTSs delivered sandbags, food, evacuated flooded farms, and pumped water out of floodgates, which formed in places where the shafts broke. To this day, I can see a painting from a completely flooded crow village. A man stands up to his neck in the water, and above his head he holds bags of property. There were people who refused to evacuate for a long time and then tried to save whatever they could... Sometimes people would leave in a hurry, leaving animals around. 1 of my soldiers took in a dog, but briefly, due to the fact that a fewer days later, the owner of an animal came to him. These were truly moving situations – the officer recalls.
In a akin tone, soldiers from chopper crews who in the south of Poland have been operating since 14 September speak. At 1 point, the aviation component consisted of 19 machines of different types – from Mi-17 to the black hook. The crews spent about 250 hours in the air together. On short recordings made available, among others, by the General Command of Types of Armed Forces, you can see how airmen slide on ropes on roofs of houses, attach residents to these ropes, which they then drag on board helicopters. They weren't just regular flights. We were all accompanied by quite a few emotions. It's hard to do otherwise erstwhile you realize that your actions depend on the wellness and sometimes the lives of the evacuated people," said Colonel Pił. Krzysztof Zwolinski, Deputy Air Force Inspector, who coordinated the work of the aviation component designated for operations in areas affected by the flood.
Meanwhile, the component was subdued. The measles has not flooded Opole or Wrocław. The water level has dropped to safe conditions. However, the army did not return to the barracks.
Cleaning at the End of the World
On 23 September, Operation Feniks began. Objective: to remove the effects of the disaster and rebuild the damaged infrastructure. Why did the army do this? – The scale of the harm is so large that the local authorities will not manage without state aid. Time is besides important. The task needs to be accomplished as rapidly as possible, and the military has the strength and resources to do so, says Brig. Gen. Stańczyk. Operation command was located in Wrocław. It is subject to 3 task forces – engineering, logistics and territorial defence. Together they are designed to be a teething, efficient mechanism.
The first step in the late flooded areas was the large cleaning. – Water carried broken trees, stones, debris from destroyed buildings and bridges. After she fell on roads and streets, there were immense amounts of sludge. It was everywhere, from Nysa to Lewin Brzeski. Earlier, I had the chance to participate in the removal of flood effects from 1997 and 2010, but I will admit that I do not remember specified a quantity of mud and impurity," said Colonel Gabriel Wasilewski, who serves in the 8th National Army Infantry Division on a regular basis, and during the operation "Feniks" became deputy commander of the Task Force Engineering Forces. Only in the Deaf alone, the military has late filled 120 trucks a day with dirt. Meanwhile, the flood not only destroyed the streets, squares and facades of buildings. Even housing was frequently destroyed. “In many localities in our area, we have set up large containers in front of the large baga property, which were practically filled with dirt in 1 day. Waste was exported to a landfill in Lewina Brzeski. Covered an area of 2 hectares – reports Major Tyniec.
But cleaning is only part of the activity. The water flooded cemeteries, carried dead animals with it, soaked buildings and roads with pathogens, turning them into a bacteriological bomb with delayed ignition. So it became essential to decontaminated them. That was the task of the chemical units. – 350 soldiers were assigned to Operation Feniks, which were divided into 18 task teams. We're operating all over the flood area. In Stroniu Śląski, Głubczyce, Kłodzek... – says Colonel Antoni Hemtorak, on a regular basis Deputy Commander of the 5th Chemical Regiment from Tarnowskie Góra, during the “Feniks” and commander of military chemists. Soldiers in the cleaning of the exterior of the facilities usage vehicles equipped with IRS filling and sanitary installations, in turn usage quasars in buildings. These are the back-mounted spray containers. – We usage active chlorine based agent. Soldiers disinfect the flood-stricken surfaces of the subway. Then we flush them with hot water – explains Colonel Heltorak. By mid - October only, chemists disinfected over 1.3 million m2 of land, including nearly 190 km of roads. We're besides eliminating the contamination of the well. So far we have disinfected almost 300 of them – explains Col.
Military chemists are accompanied by medical support. In the flood areas, mobile syndromes operate, which conduct vaccination against tetanus, typhoid, jaundice. Specialists separated by military preventive medicine centres have already vaccinated nearly 3,000 people. Over 1,1,000 patients were besides admitted by the military to a temporary infirmary in Nysa.
Restoring normality besides means removing communication barriers. due to the fact that to aid the residents, you gotta have easier access to them. So the military repairs the roads. Bridges are besides a key issue – including those that survived the flood. Just due to the fact that they haven't been washed distant by water doesn't mean they're safe. Rivers proceed to carry with them the remains of a cataclysm that may prove highly dangerous. – We had an example of this on Nysa Kłodzka close Lewin. The dive carried a fallen tree nearly 30 m long. It was turned so that it was lined across the trough. It could have raised the water or breached the construction of a close bridge. We had to get them out – said Major Tyniec.
However, the biggest task is the construction of crossings. – Here the list is very long – says Brig. Gen. Stanczyk. There are also names: Krapkowice, Krosnowice, Wilkanów, Bielice, Lądek-Zdrój, Stronie Śląskie... In total, 8 bridges, and this list may inactive extend.
The estimated losses continued in October. The next 3 crossings are already standing – in Skrzegoszcz, Kantorowice and the already mentioned Deaf. – Breaking the bridge was a real disaster for us – says Paweł Szymkowicz, mayor of the last of the cities. The city was torn in two. At first, we utilized a circular footbridge, which was designed to let cars of city services to pass through it. However, it shortly turned out that her coves were washed. We had to direct traffic to a tiny bridge owned by a private company – he explains. But it couldn't last forever, due to the fact that the company had to resume production and needed it. “If it wasn’t for the military, I don’t know how we would have handled it,” added the mayor.
Meanwhile, Polish soldiers are not alone. NATO allies were besides active in Operation Feniks. For example, close to a 100 German soldiers from the 4th Engineering Battalion in Bogen. They had the task of crossing the White Deaf trough and strengthening the banks of the vast water. The Germans brought with them specialized equipment – 39 different types of machines and vehicles. Turks besides came to Poland. Specialists from the army there want to build a temporary bridge in Kantorowice. At the end of October, formal legal acts were inactive in place. – It is truly encouraging that in specified a hard situation Poland was not alone. We can number on allies, just as they can number on us, as we have shown in erstwhile years – says Brig. Gen. Stańczyk.
But Operation Feniks is not only a large cleaning and reconstruction. Residents of affected regions frequently request to be helped in the most basic dimension. guarantee needs that must be met immediately. You can wait for a fresh bridge for a twelve days, but for a roof over your head or for access to water no longer. That's why the soldiers drive her where the waterworks are damaged. They only distributed 7.05 million litres of water by October 23. At the same time, peculiar points launched in Stroni Śląski, Lądku-Zdrój and Nysa issued nearly 73 1000 meals. The military besides deployed over a 100 specialized containers – residential, sanitary, office containers. And so day by day, hr by hour.
Poland under umbrella
“Feniks” is simply a immense test for us – from planning, interacting with various types of troops, civil-military cooperation. Of course, individual elements implemented by us appear during various types of exercises, but here we gotta put everything together. In addition, we operate in a real environment, we face real human problems. This is besides a kind of empathy test for us – emphasizes Brig. Gen. Stańczyk. But will the army always carry out specified an operation again?
In Poland, work is underway to rebuild civilian protection, which will most likely take on any of the akin tasks. I don't want to discuss that. However, it is worth remembering that certain types of equipment that have been utilized in areas affected by the flood are exclusively owned by troops. I mean, even floating transporters – says Brig. Gen. Stanczyk. Anyway, Operation Feniks delivers powerful material to the army all day for analysis. – surely it is worth strengthening engineering and logistics troops. Add modern equipment, grow structures to brigade level. The flood besides showed that the WOT task "Parasol" was the right direction, explained Brig. Gen. Stańczyk. It is intended to strengthen ties between territorial defence troops and local governments and uniformed services in order to prepare them for common tasks. This is what workshops serve, among others. “Operation Feniks has besides translated into a temporary shift in rotation training in our brigades. Part of the soldiers alternatively of the ground will be directed to the flood areas – admits Brig. Gen. Stańczyk. This isn't over. The flood showed that Poland would be very useful for dense helicopters. In an interview with the Defence Portal Deputy Prime Minister, MON head Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated: “We request larger helicopters that could support the large bags, transport soldiers to an inaccessible location or evacuation of the population.” The Deputy Prime Minister admitted that in the Ministry of Defence much attention is given to dense CH-47F Chinook helicopters.
During the highest period, 26 000 soldiers were active in Operation Feniks. Now this number is gradually decreasing. The military are returning to the training ground, to the regular service. However, more than 5,000 proceed to operate in flood relief and restoration in devastated areas. According to preliminary assumptions, the operation should be completed by 31 December. However, it can already be assumed present that it will be extended. “We will stay on the flood grounds as long as the locals need. We know how much hope they have in the soldiers," concludes Brig. Gen. Stanczyk.
