Prime Minister Robert Golob: "Thank you to everyone who has been out in the field helping their fellow citizens over the past few days"

SLOVENIA, March 28 - In Žirovnica, he attended a briefing on the situation with the Civil Protection Commander, Srečko Šestan, the Mayor of Žirovnica, Leopold Pogačar, and the municipal civil protection headquarters.

He then met with the Mayor of Tržič, Peter Miklič, and the Commander of the municipal Civil Protection headquarters, Peter Rotar, who briefed him on the situation on the ground. Together, they inspected the impact of the windthrow and the ongoing recovery efforts of the rescue units addressing the damage on site.

Afterwards, Prime Minister Golob issued a statement to the media, expressing his gratitude to everyone who has worked tirelessly over the past few days to mitigate the effects of the severe weather event. "My heartfelt thanks go to everyone within the civil protection system and the fire services, both voluntary and professional. I would also like to thank the local community and all its services, as well as the mayor and the municipal administration, for their swift response, and, above all, for ensuring first and foremost that there were no casualties or injuries," he said.

He went on to say that he had inspected the situation on the ground in the municipalities of Tržič and Žirovnica that day. "Hats off to everyone who helped restore traffic and roads access over the past two days, enabling residents to reach their homes and reassuring them that they are not alone," the Prime Minister affirmed, adding that effective communication was crucial in such situations.

The Prime Minister said that he had also visited several sites where recovery work was already underway, noting that the damage was extensive. "I have checked that there is enough equipment. The equipment purchased after the previous devastating floods is proving very useful today. However, the absolute priority remains the safety of the residents and of those carrying out the recovery work," he emphasised.

He highlighted severe weather events were likely to become increasingly frequent and that the state must therefore be well prepared to respond. "As has been the case with all previous disasters, I can assure you that neither the people nor the municipalities will be left to cope alone. Once the initial damage assessment is complete, the state will provide assistance, covering the costs of the emergency response and helping with the recovery," the Prime Minister concluded.

On behalf of the Municipality of Tržič, Mayor Peter Miklič welcomed the Prime Minister and the representatives of the Civil Protection. Summarising the events in Tržič and the surrounding areas, he stated: "We have responded to 250 emergencies, and nearly 100 buildings have been damaged. It has been an extremely challenging task to keep the roads passable, maintain infrastructure, and ensure a continuous electricity supply." He thanked all the voluntary fire departments and emergency response teams, noting that the recovery work was ongoing and would continue for another day or two before the full extent of the damage could be assessed.

Srečko Šestan, the Commander of the Civil Protection, thanked everyone involved in the operation. "I must, of course, also mention that a new threat assessment will probably need to be carried out in future for cases involving the Karavanke Föhn wind, as evidenced by these consequences. This assessment will likely lead to the need for a regional or national contingency plan to be developed."