Zadar County beings to clean up following severe floods

Towns and villages across Zadar County continue to be in a state of emergency, just over 24hrs after torrential rains caused catastrophic flooding. With rains having only recently subsided, cleanup efforts are now underway.

The historic town of Nin, located less than 17 km from Zadar, was one of several towns to suffer severe damage following Monday's storm. The fields of the world-famous Nin Saltworks were completely flooded, destroying this year's salt yields. But what has truly troubled local residents are the impassable roads and the total destruction of an old stone pedestrian bridge connecting the old town with the mainland. The military has sent amphibious vehicles to clear submerged roads and underpasses of abandoned civilian vehicles left behind during the deluge. 

Nin Mayor, Emil Ćurko, said only time will tell how much the storm will have cost the city.  

“Once we get the water cleared away, then we can begin with the cleanup. Over the next few days we will manage to get a better picture of the damage and see what our next step will be. We'll definitely seek the help of the relevant institutions and Croatian government.”

County Prefect, Božidar Longin, said while he was relieved to announce there were no deaths caused by the flood, he expects to declare a state of natural disaster by the end of this week.

“The material damage is enormous. Unfortunately we can't tell for sure how much at this moment, but we are working on our estimates right now. We will receive the relevant data from cities and municipalities across the county by the end of this week. And based on this data I will declare a state of natural disaster.” 

Meanwhile, In Strasbourg, Dubravka Šuica, a Croatian member of European Parliament, pleaded for more help from the European Commission during last night's plenary session.

“The process of accessing money from the Solidarity Fund is extremely slow-going. I hereby request the Commission to allow for quicker access to the European Solidarity Fund, because its entire purpose is to aid countries following natural disasters.”

 Damage throughout the county is expected to be in the tens of millions of kuna.