Earthquake recovery continues in Banovina

Earthquake recovery continues in Banovina(Photo: Robert Anic/Slavko Midzor/Luka Stanzl/PIXSELL)

The ground in Banovina continues to shake and the situation is further aggravated by low temperatures and snow. Local residents are slowly getting used to living in temporary accommodation however many are still waiting for housing containers or camper homes.

Domestic Branko LozančićJan. 12, 2021, 5:20 p.m.

A meeting of the Earthquake Recovery Headquarters and local leaders was held in Petrinja. At the meeting, which lasted more than five hours, it was said that bad weather and constant earthquakes made it difficult to help and recover.

Representatives of cities, municipalities and local committees presented detailed information to the President of the Headquarters, Tomo Medved, about what they had done in their places and presented their needs.

Damage was reported to more than 33,000 buildings and statics experts have inspected by about 15,000. A large number of buildings have been given the unusable or temporary unusable label. They will try to solve each individual case.

Around 1000 accommodations are needed for people who have lost roofs over their heads. There was also talk of further solving problems and how the construction of a container settlement, for about a hundred families, is going.

This morning at the Petrinja military base 16 members of the Earthquake Recovery Headquarters were vaccinated against the coronavirus along with members of the Croatian military. One of them was Master Sargent Snježana Grčić.

“It is important that the Croatian Army and the Armed Forces as a whole cares for the state of their health, because in this situation this demonstrated to be very important, because in this manner we can help our citizens,” said Sargent Grčić.

An advantage for the provision of assistance by the military is familiarity of the terrain.

Weather conditions in recent days, especially snow that has fallen in Banovina are presenting representatives of the Red Cross with challenges, especially when going to remote villages. “Nevertheless, they overcome this,” said Croatian Red Cross spokeswoman Katarina Zorić.

“We have had situations where our volunteers go out onto the terrain and come across and older woman or man that live alone and need their wood chopped, so we also do this. Nothing is too difficult for us,” said Zorić.

When asked if they managed to reach all remote villages, Zorić said that they are lucky to have local residents among their volunteers who know the terrain very well including all the hamlets. "We could say that we have now covered everything," said Zorić.

Source: HRT