Red mud, experiences of a street commander, minimalizing the damage, human destinies

Abstract

Thirteen years ago, on October 4, 2010, one of Hungary's biggest industrial disasters occurred. The dam of the red mud storage cassette No. X on the territory of Magyar Alumínium Zrt. broke, and the red mud flowing down the Torna stream flooded the deeper parts of the settlements of Kolontár, Devecser and Somlóvásárhely, as well as the outer areas of Somlójenő, Tüskevár and Apácatorna. Due to the tragedy, ten people died and nearly three hundred people needed medical care. Hundreds of properties were damaged and the red sea of mud covered the streets and squares. In connection with the damage assessment, it quickly became clear that due to both the extent and the expected duration, the tragedy will far exceed the level of our previous catastrophic damage events. In order to speed up rescue and evacuation operations and increase efficiency, the disaster management has established a street command system in the affected settlements. The task of the street commanders was to organize and coordinate the activities of the professional, local government, voluntary and publicly employed staff participating in the rescue at the scene of the damage, taking into account the interests and needs of the population.