Paulina Kasperek lives in Roztoki, in her grandparents’ house. ‘I was born here, I grew up here. This is my place on Earth,’ she stresses. She remembers a time when floods were smaller, not so threatening: ‘Back in these days, when there was a flood, the water just came through, flooded the basement, a bit of the yard and that was it. Now it’s a tragedy, it’s a drama.’
27.08.2025
article, human stories
This is my land, my roots. I won’t leave
Paulina's Story
Paulina is an active member of the Rural Housewives’ Circle “Roztoczanki” and is known locally for her love of baking. ‘I enjoy making baked goods, especially for others. This gives me the greatest pleasure,’ she says. The circle gives her a sense of community and space to act: ‘We come here first and foremost to meet.’
In July 2023, the wave came suddenly. ‘It flooded the entire ground floor, literally everything. Kitchen, living room, furniture, appliances – everything had to be thrown away. The water reached almost one and a half metre. Basically nothing could be saved. Absolutely nothing,’ she recalls.
Photo: Alicja Ryś/PAH
She remembers the helplessness when water rushed into the house: ‘I stood and watched everything perish. What could I do? Nothing. It took a moment, we didn’t have time to react.’
The hardest part was the subsequent cleaning. ‘Everything had to be taken out, every corner washed, disinfected. This was a huge effort. People don’t even have the strength to cry because they know they need to act.’
The biggest blow was the water destroying family items: ‘These were souvenirs from my grandparents. Photos, furniture, things that had sentimental value. They can’t be recovered. This hurts the most.’
The flood also inundated the local community centre, but the members of the Housewives’ Circle found the enthusiasm to keep going. Instead of giving up, they started cooking for the flood victims: ‘For sure there were stuffed cabbage rolls, cutlets, from minced meat to pork chops, there was bigos, goulash soup. The kind of stuff that people could pack up and take away.’
Community gives Paulina the strength to survive. ‘We were all in the same situation. Everyone was helping everyone. It was beautiful because, despite the tragedy, I felt that I wasn’t alone. Neighbours, friends – we all supported each other.’
‘I know that there will be another floods. But this is my land, my roots. I’m not moving from here,’ she says with determination.
Paulina’s story is part of the exhibition “Water Mark. One Year After the Flood”, which will be on display at Plac Centralny in Warsaw from September 5 to October 5, 2025. The exhibition features photographs by Aleksander Małachowski (@hashtagalek) as well as photos from PAH’s archives, taken by Alicja Ryś. They show the places affected by the September 2024 flood, as well as the people who received support from PAH. The exhibition is also available HERE.
Do you like the photos from the exhibition? Donate any amount to photographer Aleksander Małachowski’s fundraiser and receive 6 photos selected by him! After making a donation, you will automatically receive an email with the photos ready to download.
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Download the Polish Humanitarian Action’s report on post-flood activities.
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