In the aftermath of Tuesday's devastating flooding, the government on Thursday adopted relief measures and decided to declare Friday a national day of mourning for the victims.
The relief measures were to be presented by PM Janez Jansa during a visit to Letus, a small village in mid-northeast, where two people died in floods. The government has urged all those organising events for Friday to cancel them or adapt them to the occasion. They are also encouraged to give part of the funds intended for the events to those affected by the floods.
All cultural, sports and entertainment events scheduled for Friday are to be cancelled, while television and radio stations are not to broadcast entertainment programmes. Flags are to be hung at half-mast.
While the full extent of the damage caused by the floods is yet to be established, the European Commission said today that Slovenia could get funds from the EU Solidarity Fund, including for the WW II Franja partisan hospital. President Jose Manuel Barroso expressed the Commission's solidarity with the families of the victims as well those who lost their homes in the disaster. Barroso will also address a letter to Prime Minister Jansa over options for the EU's assistance.
The Slovenian Red Cross has already allocated EUR 230,000 from its solidarity fund for the families hit by the flooding in Skofja Loka, Tolmin, Radovljica, Idrija, Slovenska Bistrica, Lasko, Zalec, Mozirje and Sevnica.
The Catholic charity Caritas allocated EUR 8,500 and sent a lorry and two vans to the hardest-hit village of Zelezniki (NW) as early as Wednesday. Both charities have also launched campaigns to raise funds for the people affected by the flooding.
The areas in northwest that were the most devastated by torrential waters on Tuesday were visited today by the head of the Slovenian Bishops' Conference. Archbishop of Ljubljana Alojz Uran inspected the damage in Zelezniki, met the locals and visited some of their homes, expressing solidarity with those who lost their loved ones and thanking everyone involved in relief efforts. Uran will celebrate a mass for the casualties at the Ljubljana Cathedral on Friday evening. Then a requiem mass will also be offered by Bishop of Celje Anton Stres, who is scheduled to visit the affected areas in his diocese today as the local Caritas distributes relief for those who need it.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|