Aid from EU Civil Protection Mechanism coming to Slovenia

"After Slovenia's request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, offers of heavy excavators and engineering teams started to come in immediately," the European commissioner from Slovenia said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Lenarčič added that assistance from Germany and France was already on its way, thanking the two countries for their quick response, and saying that "we expect more offers to follow".

France is sending two excavators with engineering units to Slovenia, while Germany is sending two prefabricated temporary bridges and two excavators with the accompanying staff, the European Commission said.

Commissioner Lenarčič later tweeted that Czechia is sending a bridge and Slovakia two excavators.

The German Interior Ministry said that Germany was sending a team from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) to Slovenia. The first team, specialised in rescue, is expected to arrive today and additional teams are expected to follow.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed shock at the catastrophic floods in Slovenia and Austria. "Our thoughts are with the victims, families and everyone who lost their homes," he said on X.

Lenarčič also called on "the entire European civil protection community to respond to this overwhelming disaster" in reference to the devastating floods that have hit large parts of Slovenia.

The EU triggered its Civil Protection Mechanism for Slovenia on Sunday, and the list of the country's needs has been sent to individual member states.

Slovenia is seeking tracked excavators of various sizes, loader excavators, vehicles specialised for management of watercourses and road clearance, all with engineering teams, and prefabricated temporary bridges up to 40 metres in length.

Slovenia has also asked for the activation of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service to assist the authorities in responding to the floods and landslides and their satellite surveillance.

Several maps of the affected areas have been made as part of the effort, and a liaison officer from the Emergency Response Coordination Centre is also on the ground, the European Commission said.

Flood relief teams will be stationed in Rečica ob Savinji in the Savinja Valley north-east of the capital, Defence Minister Marjan Šarec said on Monday.

Croatia was the first to send aid with donations of potable water by the Croatian Red Cross on Friday and Saturday. Croatian Caritas will provide 25 dehumidifiers.

Croatian firefighters offered help to Slovenian firefighters on Friday but their aid was not needed at the time.

A Croatian army helicopter that arrived in Slovenia on Sunday morning helped plug a gash in a levee on the river Mura, north-east, and Hungary's two helicopters help today in the Koroška region.

The Croatian government decided on Monday to send, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, construction machinery with operators to help the flood clean-up effort.

Austria offered aid in the form of two Black Hawk S-70 and Agusta Bell 212 military helicopters that could help in search and rescue efforts, the Austrian press agency APA quoted Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner as saying.

Non-EU countries have also responded to the call for aid, with Bosnia-Herzegovina sending a team of military engineers with machinery and North Macedonia sending 100 soldiers, according to an X post by President Nataša Pirc Musar.

Slovenia has also requested aid from NATO through the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre - five transport helicopters, 200 soldiers for protection, rescue and assistance tasks, and 20 prefabricated temporary bridges.