Two US helicopters and one plane will fly over Zagreb on Sunday and Monday. However, there is no reason for alarm among citizens because they will take part in an evacuation exercise conducted by the US Embassy in Zagreb, with the support of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the United States Air Force units based at the Aviano Air Force in Italy, reports Večernji List on March 15, 2019.
The exercise scenario will be based on a possible catastrophic earthquake. As part of the exercise, the Embassy of the United States of America will simulate the evacuation of part of its employees with the help of the United States Air Force in order to train the logistics of the evacuation process. About 50 volunteers from the embassy will take part in the exercise and simulate evacuation.
Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and one MC-130J Commando II aircraft will arrive from the Royal Air Force Mildenhall airfield, located in Suffolk, England, on Sunday morning and will fly over Zagreb during the afternoon. The exercise itself will be held at several locations in and around Zagreb on Monday between 8 am and 4 pm. The plane and helicopter will again fly during this period as well.
“Embassies and consulates of the United States around the world are required to conduct yearly emergency crisis management exercises to help employees prepare for natural disasters or other crisis situations. These exercises are usually conducted through smaller-scale exercises within embassies and consulates. However, strong bilateral relations and cooperation between the United States and the Government of the Republic of Croatia have created a unique opportunity to implement a joint, large simulation exercise in crisis management in Croatia,” said the US embassy.
According to the Embassy’s website, the official presence of the United States in Croatia began with the establishment of the U.S. Consulate in Zagreb in May 1946, in offices on Kumičićeva Street. In 1951, the U.S. Consulate moved to Hebrangova 2 and remained there for the next fifty years. The Consulate gained the status of Consulate General in 1958. On August 25, 1992, the Consulate General became an Embassy after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the new Republic of Croatia. On June 2, 2003, the U.S. Embassy moved to its current location in Buzin.
Translated from Večernji List (reported by Sandra Veljković).
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