Page 42 - bne magazine September 2023

42 I Southeast Europe bne September 2023
Cost of damage from catastrophic flooding
in Slovenia to exceed €500mn
Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje
The extensive damage caused by devastating flooding in Slovenia is projected to surpass €500mn, Slovenia’s PM Robert Golob said on August 5 following a meeting of the National Security Council.
Slovenian authorities have underscored that this stands as the worst flooding crisis in the nation's recent memory. Aside from the human casualties, numerous residents have been compelled to evacuate their homes to escape the surging floods.
The total number of fatalities has now risen to six as four more victims were discovered in the wake of the catastrophic weather onslaught.
In the latest discovery reported on August 6 to a Ljubljana police station, a lifeless body was found in a cesspit in the vicinity of Moste pri Komendi, STA agency reported.
Another body was located on August
6 in the swollen Temenica river in the Dolenjska region in the south-eastern part of the country. On August 5 another body was discovered along the Sava embankment in the capital Ljubljana.
In the face of the crisis, Slovenia has activated the European Civil Protection
Mechanism to bolster its response capabilities, the European Commission said on August 7.
Following Slovenia's appeal for aid, France has mobilised two engineering units along with excavators, while Germany has committed to providing two prefabricated bridges, accompanied by two excavators and dedicated personnel.
The EU's Copernicus satellite mapping initiative has generated multiple maps of the afflicted regions, and a liaison officer from the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre is already present in Slovenia.
Additionally, the country has turned
to its neighbours Austria, Croatia
and Hungary for assistance, with
Golob expressing gratitude for the support offered. The prime minister, during his visit to flood-ravaged
areas in Skofja Loka, spoke of the
need for collaboration, including
the engagement of neighbouring countries' armed forces for tasks such as helicopter transportation.
In a phone conversation on August 7, Golob and Nato's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed Nato support for Slovenia in the wake of the catastrophic floods. As part of the aid effort, Nato
has committed to dispatch helicopters, excavators, and various other resources, Nato said.
"Upon Slovenia’s request for assistance, Nato’s disaster response coordination centre immediately notified all 31 Allies and 35 partners of your needs," Stoltenberg said.
In response to Slovenia's appeal for
aid through Nato's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination
Centre (EADRCC), Spain has extended assistance in the form of a CH-47 helicopter, accompanied by a contingent of up to 25 individuals, including both crew members and support personnel.
Fellow Nato allies are joining forces
to offer support both via the EU and bilaterally. Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany and France have collectively stepped forward with offers of aid, including helicopters, excavators, prefabricated bridges and engineering teams.
The US has also taken proactive measures by deploying personnel to Ljubljana
to conduct an on-site assessment of
the situation and ascertain pressing humanitarian requirements.
Amidst the ongoing catastrophe, initial assessments from the Chamber of Com- merce and Industry of Slovenia suggest that small businesses and craftsmen have suffered losses amounting to at least €250mn, with expectations of the final damage tally exceeding this preliminary figure. Further exacerbating the eco- nomic impact, the Chamber of Commerce estimates that nearly every business facil- ity in the worst-hit regions has incurred damage, RTV Slovenia reported.
The magnitude of this disaster has led prominent figures within the Slovenian business community to call for a state of natural disaster to be declared.
Surging floods as seen from a bridge over the Sava river. / Albin Sybera
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