Mayor in Koroška urges efforts to prevent additional flooding
Črna na Koroškem/Mežica/Prevalje, 22 August - The mayor of Črna na Koroškem, one of the areas ravaged by the recent floods, has called for efforts to clear river beds to prevent additional flooding. The local natural gas infrastructure will be hopefully repaired by autumn, while the Mežica-Prevalje water pipeline construction has already begun.
Črna na Koroškem
Črna na Koroškem Mayor Romana Lesjak (left) and Agriculture Minister Irena Šinko talk to the press about the post-floods situation in the municipality.
Photo: Vesna Pušnik Brezovnik/STA
What the town of Črna na Koroškem expects most right now is measures to clear the beds of rivers and other bodies of water, deepen their channels, and protect all homes and areas prone to flooding, Mayor Romana Lesjak said during Monday's visit of Agriculture Minister Irena Šinko.
These would be temporary measures, which should be followed by efforts to rebuild and provide long-term solutions.
She also called for efforts to make local roads passable and safe as soon as possible since certain areas are still impossible to access by car.
Moreover, the bus route to Črna na Koroškem is one of the few operated by Nomago that have not yet been resumed due to the damaged infrastructure and safety restrictions currently in place.
One of the leading transport services providers in the country had eleven buses flooded in the early August floods, including two in Črna na Koroškem, which were towed away today. It is too early to say how much damage has been caused, the company said.
Volunteer help is still needed in the municipality, as are experts providing building usability assessment, Lesjak said. Some 130 buildings were flooded, but not all of them need to be rebuild or renovated. Some households remain displaced due to the floods or the accompanying landslides.
The mayor thinks that citizens would moreover need help with filling in forms to report the damage.
Regarding the damaged gas pipeline, Lesjak hopes it will be repaired by autumn, otherwise the municipality will have to find alternative heating solutions.
The town of Mežica has no gas supply either and Mayor Mark Maze believes that repair works will take months. In Prevalje, the supply is interrupted in some areas.
The good news is that the construction of a new water pipeline from Mežica to Prevalje and Ravne na Koroškem is expected to be completed within three months.