Security council to meet amid extreme floods, govt also in session
Ljubljana, 5 August - Prime Minister Robert Golob called a meeting of the National Security Council for Saturday amid severe flash floods that have caused emergency situations around the country. The government is expected to hold an emergency session as well, the prime minister's office said on Friday.
Mozirje
Floods in the Mozirje area, mid north-east.
Photo: Mozirje firefighters
Kamnik
Floods in Kamnik, north of Ljubljana.
Photo: Tatjana Zemljič/STA
Komenda
Komenda, north of Ljubljana, flooded after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
The safety of citizens comes first, Golob said in his first response to what he described as probably the worst natural disaster the country has seen in the past three decades.
The disaster relief system is working well, and all emergency response teams are doing all they can to help those affected by the latest wave of storms and heavy rains, the prime minister added.
Golob ended his summer holidays early due to the situation to meet representatives of the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief on Friday afternoon.
He convened a meeting of the National Security Council to coordinate the response of all stakeholders to maximise effectiveness, he said at yesterday's press conference.
The meeting will be followed by the government's emergency session, after which changes to the Natural Disaster Recovery Act will be tabled to speed up aid to municipalities. Golob expects them to be passed as early as next week.
The catastrophic floods have cut certain areas, especially in the north of the country, from the rest of the world and caused enormous damage to property and infrastructure, closing off sections of motorways and railways.
Three fatalities have so far been reported, one reportedly caused by flooding and the other two by lighting, and there have been evacuations in several regions.
The rain is forecast to start letting up today, but it will not be until Monday that the weather is expected to stabilise.