Prevention failed, British rescuers shocked by system collapse: Nikšić and FUCZ must take responsibility!

By: Rasim Belko @rasimbelko

“The Federal Hydrometeorological Institute (FHMZ) issued an orange warning due to heavy rainfall. The warning was issued for the areas of Herzegovina, western, northwestern and partially central Bosnia for Thursday, October 3. Expected rainfall amounts from 30 to 60 l/m2, locally up to 80 l/m2. Local flooding of watercourses and urban floods are possible. Recommendations and measures according to the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) are to take precautions and monitor the weather forecast. Flooding of property and transport networks are possible. Stay alert and act according to the advice given by authorized bodies. For all additional information, contact the competent institutions”.

This was the FHMZ warning issued on October 2, precisely specifying where and what problems were possible due to heavy rainfall.

However, while federal meteorologists were issuing warnings, the authorities in the Federation were scattered in pre-election activities, clearly not understanding the seriousness of the situation.

Yesterday, October 8, a similar warning was issued, and the authorities began evacuating the population from already flooded areas.

Why was nothing done on October 3?

It is clear that everyone in the chain of responsibility underestimated the warning, but also failed in prevention, which should be a given after weather alerts are issued.

Article 42 of the Law on Protection and Rescue of People and Property from Natural and Other Disasters states, among other things: “The bearers of protection and rescue plan and prepare: 1) measures and procedures of significance for the implementation of preventive protection, as the primary means of preventing the occurrence of natural or other disasters or mitigating their effects”.

Isn't it clear then that the system has completely failed because it did not even attempt preventive protection, the primary means of protecting people and property? The Federal Civil Protection Administration did nothing, and given the seriousness of the warning, it should have raised the level of readiness to the level required by critical situations.

And then, representatives from the imposed government of Nermin Nikšić come out and say that the system did not fail! I don't know if they have any shame, but someone must be held accountable!

The second problem arose after the apocalypse in Konjic, Jablanica, Kreševo, Vareš, Fojnica, because the FUCZ system, as the primary one in crisis management, absolutely failed.

Best British rescue unit (Photo: OSBiH)

The British rescue unit, which was supposed to conduct exercises with the Armed Forces of BiH, as it is among the top rescue units, came to help in Jablanica due to the overall situation.

However, what they witnessed quite surprised them, and they watched in disbelief as the command system collapsed during the rescue mission.

“They lined up the jeeps, stood next to them in good uniforms like models, and lit cigarettes in the epicenter of the horror,” said one of the British rescuers.


British rescuer in action

The report made by this unit states that the system is completely dysfunctional, that no one knew what they were doing, and worst of all, they were doing it wrong.

“Excavators do not go first to the disaster site,” the British warned, but to no avail. And what is devastating is that these foreigners who came to help had to create their own maps and prepare for the search and rescue operation themselves.

However, precisely because of the dysfunctional system, an accident could have occurred during the search operation. Namely, according to Patria's sources, while a private individual was trying to break through an accumulation that formed after the floods with an excavator, British rescuers were searching for the missing below him.

A greater disaster was prevented, but the system has definitely failed!

If we go back four years to the time of the coronavirus, we will remember the serious waves of criticism against the then federal government for being slow and not doing enough to save the lives of BiH citizens.

Today, when there is a disaster on a micro-level affecting several municipalities, we see that the critics of that time, who are now in power, not only do not know how to prevent it, but their ignorance is a danger to the already affected areas.

It is obvious that politicians in their comfortable offices are just good talkers about the system, because after taking over the same system, it has collapsed to a level where it is unable to respond even to pre-announced disasters.

What these armchair politicians knew was to go to the affected areas on the last day of the campaign, take pictures, and then tell worried stories on TV screens. At least 95 percent of these politicians did not go to Jablanica or any other affected place again.

It is also interesting that neither the international community nor a large number of media outlets are critical of the authorities responsible for a severe tragedy with unforeseeable consequences!


If some others were in power, they would be declared guilty even for the heavy rainfall!