The Jasenovac area near the Sava river is in the especially dire situation.
Croatia is continuing to struggle with major flooding. In the Kosinj Valley, a state of emergency has been declared. Army, firefighters and the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS) are providing assistance in the Jasenovac area near the Sava river. At 2 pm, the highest Sava river water level in history was recorded – 920 cm. The previous record was 907 cm in 1970, reports N1 on March 19, 2018.
A meeting of the emergency committee was held in Jasenovac earlier today, which was attended by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Defence Minister Damir Krstičević and Minister of Environment and Energy Tomislav Ćorić.
It is expected that the water levels will continue to rise for at least another 24 hours.
After the meeting, the prime minister toured the area. He said the situation was under control, thanks to the active engagement of all services. “The Lonjsko Polje field serves as a kind of reservoir where water is being diverted in order to reduce the pressure on the Sava river,” the prime minister said.
“I would like to thank everyone for their efforts. This is a proof that the homeland security system has been raised to a higher level. This is a joint effort by local authorities and the government to maximally help people and reduce damages from the high waters caused by rains and melting snow,” said Plenković.
He pointed out that the government would continue to invest in the reconstruction of the embankments along the Sava river and added that this was a process which has been going on for generations. “It takes years to construct embankments. It is important that we are doing it systematically and that all possible breakages are detected in time. Lonjsko Polje directly protects this area along the Sava near Jasenovac, but in a certain way, it prevents higher water levels downstream as well, both in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a good example of how we can help everyone,” the prime minister said.
Before the meeting, Defence Minister Krstičević said they would see what can be done more to help the local population. More than a hundred soldiers have been deployed in the Jasenovac area, and 300 are on standby in case evacuations are ordered.
Divers have been deployed at Uštica near Jasenovac because the road near the river has cracked and there was a danger that embankment might collapse as well.
The Ministry of Defence has released a video of the situation on the ground.
In the Lika region, the worst situation is in the Kosinj Valley, where about 500 people have been cut off by high waters. The water levels of the Lika river are rising by 5 to 8 cm an hour. More than 50 houses have been flooded so far.
Translated from N1.
