Damage from October floods in Vareš exceeds 1.1 million KM

(Patria) - The Cantonal Civil Protection Headquarters (KŠCZ) of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDK) held a session in Vareš, where a state of natural disaster was declared at the beginning of October due to heavy rainfall and flash floods that caused significant material damage.

The introductory part of the session was attended by the Mayor of Vareš Municipality, Zdravko Marošević, and Assistant for Civil Protection, Ibrahim Spahić, who expressed gratitude to the Cantonal Civil Protection Administration (KUCZ) for the assistance and support provided in restoring road communications and unblocking the town, as all roads leading to the town were blocked.

- The natural disaster has shown that we must improve and equip civil protection structures, especially fire services, so that we can react quickly and promptly and save human lives and property - said Mayor Marošević.

After the natural disaster on October 4th, the Municipality of Vareš received 14 damage reports from individuals, and almost all local communities in this municipality had damage to their road infrastructure.

According to Mayor Marošević, the total damage amounts to 1,121,000 KM, of which 969,000 KM is damage to roads, and the rest to buildings.



At the session, chaired by Adnan Šabani, Minister for Spatial Planning, Transport and Communications, and Environmental Protection, in his capacity as commander, the KŠCZ reviewed the Information on the state of preparations for the protection and rescue of people and material goods from natural and other disasters, with measures for organizing, developing, and strengthening civil protection in the Canton for 2024.

The Head of KŠCZ and Director of KUCZ, Džavid Aličić, said that civil protection structures at all levels have made significant progress in equipping in 2024, and the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team has been established, composed of members of GSS Zenica, and quality equipment has been procured, with delivery expected by the end of this year.

- In addition to mechanization, we will now have a USAR team that will be ready to respond in crisis situations. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent, especially earthquakes like the one we had a year ago in Ljubetovo near Zenica, so we must have prepared and trained rescuers for such situations - said Aličić.

He announced that in 2025, activities on building the civil protection radio-relay network will be intensified, for which a project has already been prepared, and which will connect existing radio networks in the municipalities into a unified radio communication system.

The KŠCZ concluded that information on the state of shelters and the expenditure of funds collected from shelter construction fees will be requested from the cities and municipalities in this canton.