By: (Nova24tv.si)
With the diverse weather events ahead of us, many are looking at the sky with concern. Especially in areas where the devastating weather event in early August caused extensive damage. In the Upper Savinja Valley region, there is concern as there is an insufficient number of construction machinery to remove excess material.
State Secretary for the Coordination of Measures and Activities for Flood Recovery, Boštjan Šefic, visited the Upper Savinja Valley on Sunday and met with local mayors. He assured them that the restoration of watercourses and roads is among the top priorities. Šefic insists that the government will not forget anyone affected by the disaster.
In addition to the unfavourable weather forecasts, residents of the Ljubenski zaselek Rastke are concerned that they will be left alone, as happened after the floods in 1990. One of the local residents told RTV Slovenija that a few more cubic meters need to be removed. “I do not know where the excavators went, they are not here. There are no trucks, and all of this has been left,” he commented with concern.
People are left to fend for themselves
“The streams are not organised, there are no machines, there is nothing. This worries me because it was almost the same problem in the 90s,” said a local resident. According to the mayor of Ljubno ob Savinji, Franjo Naraločnik, every excavator that is not operational these days, that maybe was not working, represents significant damage and increases the danger to all their people. Naraločnik had previously mentioned in an interview for 24ur Zvečer that they are running out of hope and have a feeling of being left to themselves. “It is difficult when you see heavy excavators leaving our villages and hamlets and when you meet people shocked that experts and heavy machinery, which clear the way, are departing,” he said, while thanking everyone who has helped in any way.
The required construction machinery is said to be arriving
On Sunday, Šefic stated regarding construction machinery that the measures will be focused on increasing its presence. He noted that it is important to realise that the assistance sent to Slovenia from abroad was intended for intervention purposes. “Now, of course, we need to separately negotiate with these countries for a new arrangement,” he said. When this will happen is not yet clear. Šefic also discussed with the mayors of the Upper Savinja Valley the relocation of houses to new locations. In Braslovče alone, there are 150 such houses. “In the municipality, we will certainly pursue the goal of ensuring a quality and healthy living environment in case of relocation. We will not tolerate half-hearted solutions,” said Tomaž Žohar, the mayor of the Municipality of Braslovče.
During the weekend, it was reported that there was a shortage of volunteers in the areas affected by the floods, even though some families still require help from diligent hands. “I call on all those who did not come or were unable to help on August 14th to join in now,” said Anita Ogulin, a well-known humanitarian from the Association of Friends of Youth Ljubljana Moste-Polje, in an interview with Planet TV.