TUHO: Jinak je to kostrbaty, asi strrojovej preklad, tady zrejme original v EN
Polish/Ukraine Border crossing report- for those who want to help
Drove here to the Polish border this afternoon(roughly 9 hours) to drop off stuff and pick up people. Got back to Prague around 1 am on Saturday.
Here is what i did:
1. Drove to the customs checkpoint, got redirected by police to where people crossing the border were. They are housed in a temporary logistics park.
2.dropped of supplies. Toiletries and medicines were appreciated, they did not take clothes. They say, they have enough.
3. Went inside, asked an army guy where i could sign up as a driver. He asked me to go to the info desk run by young volunteers. (Used google translate everywhere)
4. Volunteers asked me where i could take people, i said everywhere. Had a placard that said” drive you anywhere in Slovakia, Czechia and Poland for free” . A mom and son overheard me and asked me if i could drive them to Krakow airport. I said yep and asked the volunteer if she could find another person. Apparently everything is not as organized as it looks like. They are overwhelmed with people going to different destinations so anyone who can find a ride by him or herself is a relief for them.
5. Dropped them off at the airport, now back here having a snack and a short nap before i go for my next ride to another Unknow destination. I will do this until Saturday.
6. All in all from my moment of arrival to the refugee center to finding someone to take somewhere took me 10 mins. Not bad huh?
7. Traffic? None. First time of Polish highways, love it! No traffic at all, not sure why the media is complaining? May be it’s a weekday?
Overall:
Over the past few days, there have been a lot of wise media research gurus who have been saying - There is a lot of help, roads are packed, everything is organized. I heard this during the Moravian tornado too (i went the next day there and untrue!) and wanted to believe this “chinese whisper” but alas
Here is the reality and facts-
1. There are a LOT of refugees making their way. This is not people fleeing anymore but is turning into a humanitarian crisis.
2. It is peak winter in Europe(-5 degrees or below in most places as sun sets). People have to wait for days(not hours) for trains only to make it to the border with their small kids/ pets. Sometimes they walk, sometimes people are fortunate to find a car ride(very few), sometimes they find a place on the train(order of priority- pregnant, elderly, children and so on)
3. Now comes another ordeal- customs and border crossing. Most people in the EU do not realize the luxury of crossing into another country . Third world on the other hand knows how tricky, long, complex it is in regular times. Now imagine you don’t have a passport or your documents and you are crossing the border on foot. The border checkpoints are not built for this amount of traffic hence you are stuck for either 5-10 hours if lucky , longer depending on how complex your case is(missing documents)
4. Now come charities and the so called Organizations - don’t get me wrong- there are a LOT of supplies coming through, lot of charities but you know what’s missing? Something we all suck at as a species- Communication between what help is out there and the person/pet it is meant for.
5. Let’s say finally you make it across and find transportation.(organized busses, trains) they shall drop you off somewhere in a city unknown to you. If you are lucky enough, you find someone who guides you to the door step and bed you have been waiting for. Not everyone is that lucky(messages like the one below where an acquaintance’s mother was left in Bratislava with no contact). Another complexity is, multiple crossings and local municipalities(local town volunteers). Not everyone is everywhere so then again comes the ordeal of getting transport to the nearest shelter.
6. Add poor network coverage, little to no water before crossing, mental and physical health conditions, worry about relatives back home, worry about the unknown, worry about the future, pets and pet shelters- what you get is an absolute CLUSTER f*c*
CLUSTER f*c*s are normal and no one/ country/ organization is perfect but what makes things worse is this new kind of behavior of discouraging people to do something because of sample bias(not checking enough resources, personal experience etc) and using that to justify not wanting to make an extra effort to get out and help. There are also local (for instance in Prague) ways to help- physical jobs of moving supplies to trucks, coordinating logistics, help with purchasing.
Now in no way am i saying- everyone needs to help or do something, that’s a personal choice, but don’t let your personal choice, lack of correct information , weekend plans, discourage others and their choices.
Thanks