After the deluge

After the deluge

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This was the scene of devastation in Topcic Polje almost six months ago, after the heaviest rainfall in more than a century caused rivers to burst their banks, swept away roads and buried homes in meters of mud and debris.

The village was at the centre of the devastation and Reuters photographer Dado Ruvic revisited the same locations he shot in May to show the contrast, as locals continued the cleanup.

. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Senahida Kovacevic, who lives with her mother and the three brothers, says that she has spent every day since mid-May in rubber boots, clearing her home of the mud that buried it in the flooding.

International donors pledged the 800 million euros ($1 billion) in aid to help the country recover, but Kovacevic says that her family received little help, just couple of doors and windows, which didn't fit.

"We cleaned it all alone; nobody helped us," said Kovacevic.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: People carry their belongings as they evacuate from their flooded homes.
After: The same place is seen after floods.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: A damaged car sits in front of flood-damaged houses.
After: A man cycles in the same location almost six months later.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: A dog sits on a flood-damaged basketball court.
After: Boys play basketball in the same location almost six months later.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: A family photo of the Kovacevic family lies in the mud in front of their flood-damaged house.
After: The photo is pictured in the same place almost six months later.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: Members of the Kovacevic family shovel mud out from from their kitchen.
After: A replaced window is seen almost six months later.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: A member of the Kovacevic family clears mud inside his home.
After: The interior of the Kovacevic family house is seen after the floods.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: Meters of mud is seen in the Kovacevic family home.
After: Building material is seen in the house almost six months later.

Before & After

Before
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
After
. TOPCIC POLJE, Bosnia and Herzegovina. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Before: A mud splattered light switch is seen at the Kovacevic family home.
After: The same detail is pictured almost six months later.