Pumping and purification of water in at least six Serbian towns as well as assessments of situation in a number of towns and villages affected by floods are key ongoing activities of EU Member States’ rescuing teams, their team leaders said at a meeting Wednesday.
The meeting, hosted by EU Delegation to Serbia and co-chaired by EU Civil Protection Team’s Leader Gordon MacMillan and the Assistant Head of Sector for Emergency Management of Serbia’s Interior Ministry Ivan Baras, was aimed at sharing information on teams activities throughout the country and coordinate further activities.
Greeting the team leaders the Head of the Delegation Michael Davenport said the feedback from the Serbian government on EU teams rescuing operations has been “extremely positive.”
“The work that you’ve been doing around Serbia as a part of this response from the EU has been fantastic,” Davenport said.
“It would not have been possible to overcome the results of the terrible flooding as expeditiously and effectively as it has been the case,” he said, adding that these kind of briefings were also useful to further improve performances and learn lessons for similar operations in the future.
Ivan Baras briefly summarised the current situation, saying the most difficult was still in Obrenovac, but that a lot of villages were also still without electricity and drinking water.
Baras stressed the importance of water purification systems, brought by French and German teams, as they were providing enormous aid in this phase in Ćuprija, Svilajnac and Obrenovac.
In addition, teams from Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Danmark, Germany, Slovenia and France have been pumping out the water with high capacity pumps in Šabac, Jagodina, Obrenovac, Kostolac and Požarevac.
The EUCPT took part in assessment to Jagodina, Svilajnac, Smederevska Palanka and Kostolac, assessing the situation in small villages along the Danube River. Report shows that although recovery work is ongoing, there are still urgent needs, including cleaning agents, washing powder, disinfection, dryers, assessment of houses and insecticides.
The teams will stay as long as they are needed, but those who have completed their mission and whose equipment is no longer necessary in flood-affected areas will be either redeployed or leave to home countries in the coming days and weeks, the team leaders said.
