Sandomierz, June 2010. photo - TVP

Seventeen residents of the southern towns of Sandomierz, Tarnobrzeg and Gorzyce, who suffered from floods in Spring, have filed a class action against the Polish State.

The flood victims demand a total of 8.5 million zloty (2 million euro) in compensation, claiming that the authorities failed to perform their duties in flood protection and neglected dykes and embankments.

Among the plaintiffs there are entrepreneurs whose shops and plants were flooded and individuals whose houses were destroyed by the flooding. They demand from 100,000 zloty (25,000 euro) to one million zloty (250,000 euro).

“Some 200-250 more residents of Sandomierz want to be included in the suit,” says Zbigniew Rusak, an entrepreneur and initiator of the class action. “From the very beginning I was sure that the flooding was not caused by the nature or ill fate but resulted from the government and water management institutions’ negligence,” said Rusak.

According to new regulations introduced in July, joint suits can be filed by at least ten people united by a common complaint. (mg)

Source: PAP