Security council to meet amid extreme floods, govt also in session

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.