Floods believed to be worst natural disaster to hit Slovenia
Ljubljana, 4 August - The flooding that hit Slovenia on Friday is believed to be the worst natural disaster to hit the country in the last thirty-plus years, Prime Minister Robert Golob said. He expects emergency legislation to speed up the disbursement of aid to be passed as early as next week.
Ljubljana
Prime Minister Robert Golob speaking to the press about the flood relief effort on Friday, 4 August.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Ljubljana
Defence Minister Marjan šarec (right) and Prime Minister Robert Golob (left) speak to the press about the flood relief effort.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Ljubljana
Srečko Šestan, head of the Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Administration, speaks to the press about the flood relief effort.
Photo: Katja Kodba/STA
Škofja Loka
The medieval town of Škofja Loka flooded as the Sora River bursts its banks amid heavy rain.
Photo: Luka Krek/STA
Medvode
The river Sora bursts its banks in the Medvode area.
Photo: Ksenija Brišar/STA
Komenda
Komenda, north of Ljubljana, flooded after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
Komenda
Komenda, north of Ljubljana, flooded after a night of heavy rain.
Photo: STA
"We already know that the damage will be record high and exceed damage in previous natural disasters since Slovenia has been independent," Golob said at a press conference after cutting short his summer holiday to return to office.
The government is meeting tomorrow and will pass amendments to the Natural Disaster Recovery Act. Golob expects the National Assembly to convene an emergency session on Tuesday or Wednesday to pass the law.
Damage to infrastructure is particularly grave, but Golob is confident all stakeholders will be able to join forces to repair the infrastructure.
The prime minister said Slovenia was fortunate to have the best disaster relief and rescue system in Europe, but would welcome aid that has been offered by neighbouring countries and the EU.
Defence Minister Marjan Šarec said aid would be accepted, but the situation must calm down first so that relief workers can be effectively deployed.