Belgrade, Serbia Report Made By

REPUBLIC OF SERBIA MINISTRY OF INTERIOR Sector for Emergency Management

Date: February 14, 2012 Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Report made by: International Cooperation of the Sector for Emergency Management, Ministry of Interior, Republic of Serbia

Event: Emergency Situation in Serbia due to heavy snowfalls and extreme cold Occurrence: Date: 05/02/2012

Situation Report, No8

Following the proposal of the National Emergency Management HQ on 5 February 2012, the Government of the Republic of Serbia declared the Emergency Situation on the whole territory of the state due to heavy snowfalls and extreme cold. All protection and rescue activities are coordinated and managed by the National Emergency Management HQ, presided by the Minister of Interior.

The latest report indicates 20 people dead due to extreme cold and 255 rescued. Approximately 22,700 households and 65,600 people are affected in the distant mountain villages. Rescue and evacuation operations are conducted and assistance is being provided to people who are in urgent need of medical assistance, food supplies etc. The most affected population due to heavy snowfalls and blizzards is in the municipalities Sjenica, Vranje, Medvedja, Crna Trava, Prijepolje, Priboj, Nova Varos, Ivanjica, Brus, Bajina Bašta. Search for one man who is cluttered after avalanche is continuing.

With new snowfalls, most of local and uncategorised roads in central and eastern Serbia in mountain regions are covered with snow. All main and regional roads are passable. Railway traffic between Serbia and Montenegro is suspended.

The National HQ has taken the measures in accordance with the Operational Plan for Flood Protection due to ice cover formed on the parts of the following rivers: the Danube, the Sava, the Ibar, the Tisa, the Velika Morava, the Zapadna Morava, the Drina, the Timok, the Jasenica. Because of the ice cover formation on the rivers Danube, Sava and Tisa, river traffic is suspended in Serbia until conditions for safe navigation are met. The authorities (Water Management Directorate, MoI - Sector for Emergency Management and National Hydmet Service) are monitoring the situation, and the Serbian Army is organising ice breaking. There have been trilateral meetings between Serbian, Hungarian and Croatian authorities, and bilateral meetings between Serbian and Romanian authorities, because of the ice cover formation on the Danube.

Local Harbour Master Offices are in constant contact with the crews of the captured ships on the Danube River due to thick ice that stopped the river traffic. Also, Helicopter Unit of the Ministry of Interior distributed necessary supplies (food and fuel) to the captured ships. The crew of the Ukrainian ship “Kamyanets-Podolsky” managed to get to the coast on their own

Sector for Emergency Management, Ministry of Interior, Republic of Serbia 101, Kneza Milosa Street, 11 000 Belgrade, SERBIA Phone: +38111 3614 304, +38111 3615 659, fax: +38111 3618 599 e.mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

REPUBLIC OF SERBIA MINISTRY OF INTERIOR Sector for Emergency Management where they were taken care of by the members of the Fire and Rescue Brigade and provided with the necessary supplies for the next few days by the Serbian Red Cross.

In accordance with the Instruction of the Head of the National Emergency Management HQ, all emergency management HQs (local HQs, county HQs, the HQ of the autonomous province of Vojvodina and the HQ for the City of Belgrade) are in sessions. Based on the situation and needs assessment reports for their territory, the HQs have made decisions on measures and operations to be taken and engagement of the human and material resources.

After the session of the National Emergency Management HQ held on 10 February, new distribution of food has started for 38 most affected municipalities in Serbia. Distribution of food is continuing.

It was decided that all educational institutions remain closed until 17 February (with remark that 15 and 16 February are celebrated as National Day in Serbia). It was also decided that 17 February will be non working day. It was also proposed for the big companies that are great consumers of electricity, to close the premises during next week in order to minimise the consumption of electricity.

Local HQs coordinate the delivery of the medicines, food supplies, worm clothes, blankets etc, and the rescue activities of the emergency services (fire and rescue units, medical assistance, police, and army), Red Cross centres, Centre for social work and Mountain Rescue Service.

Heavy mechanizations from public companies are still engaged and the additional mechanizations are approved and deployed.

Serbian Army with their heavy mechanizations is deployed on cleaning the roads.

Serbian Government has allocated the financial assistance from the budget for the affected municipalities, as well as fuel for the machines and specialised vehicles.

Serbian private companies also donated fuel for the affected municipalities.

So far, the capacities of the Republic of Serbia have been sufficient to deal with the situation and there has been no need for international assistance.

In response to the Bulgarian request for assistance distributed through MIC of 7 Feb for sandbags, geo-textiles and winterised tents, a number of Participating States offered the assistance. Sector for Emergency Management of the Serbian MoI coordinated the transit of the Hungarian humanitarian assistance sent to Bulgaria on 9 February (coordination with Serbian customs, Border and Traffic Police). On 10 February, SEM also coordinated the transit of the Polish humanitarian assistance for Bulgaria.