Update from the borders, 05. Oct 2015, 21:00

Croatia / Serbia border

BAPSKA - Around 2400 refugees went through Bapska today until 19pm, many more are expected during the night. No waiting queues, police take refugees almost immediately, so situation is calm and easy going. But there is an urgent lack of people during the weekdays!

- Rain is expected for Tuesday so raincoats needed. Also 5l and 0,5l water packages, gloves, plastic cups and spoons, lot of black tea bags, duct tape, cookies, chocolate bars, bananas.

- Volunteers needed and welcomed but please be ready for working long and late night. We also ask volunteers not to bring any alcohol.

- Right now we are doing very well, refugees are glad for hot tea and gratefull for information. Please, try to manage coming during the week.

- Clothes: warm jackets and other warm clothes, gloves, hats, SHOES! (especially 38-44 size, but all sizes are good, especially mens), new SOCKS! Also mens trousers - jeans are problematic to fit, please try to collect tracksuits and other loosely eared trousers, also leggins for women. Food in larger quantities is problem to delivery across the border, so please buy it in Serbia/Croatia directly.

- Help in the area on Serbian side is coordinated by Misa, her number: +420 774 195 786. When arriving on place at Bapska to volunteer on both sides of the border, please report yourself at the organizing team and please obey they instruction.

- Volunteers on Croatian side are asked to fill their availability slots at :: volunteerspot.com/login/entry/676750982095 - please log in and you will see how it works. Aim is to ensure all shifts are being covered.

- Volunteers travelling via Hungary/Serbia and Croatia/Serbia border crossings are experiencing problems at the Serbian customs offices, which does not want to let them in the country without paying custom duties and declarations. Shoes, clothes and large quantities of food are also problem. Always try to reduce amount of aid you carry so it does not seem suspicious, also try to pretend you are not aid workers but just tourists. Cover supplies with your personal belonging and luggage. In case of problems, there is a possibility to leave your supplies at Tovarnik at Croatian side, but the size is limited. Use Tovarnik/Sid border crossing.

- Location of makeshift camp is near Sid at Serbian side, when approaching Sid from west (from Tovarnik) turn left on light, and after 2,5 km turn slightly left when road turns right (fork type of crossroad), then through the fields ca 3,5 km and you arrive on the spot.

- Croatian side is easily accesible via Sarengrad. The most important thing is NOT to stop at Opatovac or Tovarnik and ask anyone there about Bapska because there were causes when locals/police told volunteers not to go to Bapska or that they need accreditation. That is NOT true for Bapska at the moment: people there have talked everything through with the police and they WILL let you through. Please print out map if you don't have GPS.

- Bajakovo, Tovarnik, Batina and Ilok border crossings are now open for transit, so it may be possible to cross border via Ilok/Backa Palanka border crossing.

- Even when working on Serbian site at Bapska border crossing, try to set permanently Croatian phone operators to stay within EU roaming prices.

- Archive of these updates could be found at http://pastebin.com/u/michalberg

Hungary

- BEREMEND, MAGYARBOLY - Refugees are continuously passing through Beremend. :: MigrationAid operates aid centre near Beremend with storage room and accommodation for its volunteers. MigrationAid is looking for volunteers for few day shifts. There is also possible to get some transportation from Budapest. See :: bit.ly/1FQ6uJR (docs.google.com) for scheduling your time.

- HEGYESHALOM - Migration Aid's operative team is looking for volunteers at the Hegyeshalom border. Volunteers would be working in team of four in 12 hrs shifts (6am-6pm, 6pm-6am). The volunteers are responsible to take care of the refugees, which primarily includes the distribution of donations and keeping the site clean.

- Volunteers are leaving daily from warehouse in Verseny utca, Budapest. First car at 4pm which also transports the daily supply and another one at 4am with the volunteers. Please see scheduling of volunteers shift for Hegyeshalom at :: bit.ly/1VueVBD (docs.google.com).

For more information about both locations contact Andras Siewert, Tel.: +36 30 895 1917, E-mail: operations (at) migrationaid.net, :: facebook.com/siewert.org.

- ZAKANY - border crossing still open for providing help to refugees, but only food and water, no clothes/shoes. Refugees at Zakany constantly need water and food for lunchpackets (bananas, apples, sliced bread, sliced cheese, mueslibars) as well as blankets. Zakany volunteers set up a twitter account to inform what is needed there: :: twitter.com/zakanysolidar, or contact SOSkonvoi - +43 676 630 94 86 or :: facebook.com/SOSkonvoi.

- BUDAPEST - MigrationAid is still collecting material donations personally or via mail orders or shipments to their storage at Budapest, district 7, Verseny street 10, where they can receive donations at 16.00-20.00 every day. Please read carefully their daily donation list at :: facebook.com/migrationaidhungary.

- BUDAPEST - Every day you can go to BERKOCSIS STR. 41, they are preparing thousands of food packs for Hegyeshalom. If you can bring something, they always need: banana, yoghurt, triangle cheese, cereal bars, chocolate bars, paprika.

Serbian-Macedonian border

- PRESEVO - The situation is getting better at Presevo, despite 3-4000 refugees cross borders every day from Macedonia and Bulgaria, and they have to wait here in long queues (also in the night) until they got registration for further way to Serbia. Serbian government promised to increase the capacity of authorities issuing documents.

- If you are able to travel for several days, please go there. Bring tents and sleeping bags! Some NGOs and volunteers on site, but your help is really needed.

- If travelling via SZEGED, you can take some supplies at two warehouses: MigSzol warehouse at Gárdonyi utca 6 and IRP warehouse so if you have some space in your car and travel via Hungary, please stop there. Always contact coordinator before approaching Szeged - for MigSzol Szalai Balazs +36 20 229 6669 or Szoke - Toth Agnes +36 304 27 34 60 or Daniel Szatmary for IRP: +36307093317, donations (at) irpeace.org.

- In Presevo, you can contact Frantisek +420 774 673 864, who has been there for 2 days and is coordinating efforts of Czech team. Call only when trying to locate him on site.

- For travels from Austria for Wednesday, contact SOSkonvoi - +43 676 630 94 86 or :: facebook.com/SOSkonvoi.

- Contacts: Agon from the Youth Office when you come close only: Tel. 00381 628 54 94 69 or go directly to the office for instructions or contact Xhelal Hasani from the Center of Solidarity and Advancement Tel. 00381 633 74 034, xhelal_hasani (at) hotmail.com when nearby.

Other news

- Information about times of arrival of special trains from Tovarnik to Botovo/Zakany are published on twitter account of Croatian government - https://twitter.com/VladaRH

- There has been a car accident in southern Serbia, involving truck and bus with refugees. One woman died and 9 has been wounded :(

- If you have any additional info, please don't hesitate to contact me via Facebook or at michal.berg (at) esports.cz - please also let me know if you find this updates useful, how did they helped you and if you want to have anything more to be included in them.

- Police department in Burgenland (Eastern Austria) has opened a 24hr hotline. Family members who are looking for their relatives can call: +43 591 331 033 33.

- If you are willing to donate money to Czech team in Serbia, you can use my paypal paypal (at) esports.cz and I will move the funds immediately to the people on site. You can also donate donations (at) migrationaid.net for MigrationAid. Thanks to those who already donated!

- Czech only: Odkaz na užitečný manuál pro dobrovolníky: :: dobrovolnici.jdem.cz - určitě čtěte před odjezdem. Pro vjezd do Srbska stačí občanka, ale pas je vždycky lepší mít.

- When travelling to help, always take headlight, reflexion vest, good shoes, protective gloves and warm clothes and be prepared for rain. And always try to contact anyone in charge of coordination on site and obey his instructions. And be careful!

- Czech government agreed today to deploy some 25 soldiers and machines to help Hungary building their fence. We Czechs are ashamed for that, Dear Europe - :: deareurope.cz/en.

Source: M. Bergs Pastebin from 05. Oct 2015, :: pastebin.com/XF62Wrsq.