Plenkovic promises broader economic revitalisation of quake-hit area

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has said on Wednesday that the extent of the damage caused by the 29 December earthquake is bigger than what seemed immediately after the disaster.

There are some who are disseminating claims that the Red Cross, the Civil Protection Authority, the army, the police, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS), civil engineers and the local authorities are not doing their job well and that they failed to perform their duties in a timely manner. That is not true, Plenkovic told reporters in the city of Glina.

Plenkovic said that those claims amounted to attempts to undermine the trust in the state and the trust in state institutions. He said that he had to dismiss those claims for the sake of state building and trust in institutions.

As for claims about slow reactions, Plenkovic recalled that the legislation on the civil protection system envisaged the principle of gradualness upon the establishment of the extent of the damage caused by a disaster and and definition of moves that should be taken.

Plenkovic recalled that the crisis was caused by an earthquake and that by the end of the day of the quake, all necessary services restarted functioning and two hospitals were evacuated. Also, the government has set aside 120 million kuna as emergency relief.

He said that the dimensions of the aftermath of the quake surpassed institutional and staff capacities as well as the capacities of the local authorities, and therefore the government stepped in to help.

On Tuesday afternoon, Plenkovic visited Glina as well as Petrinja and other quake-hit towns and municipalities.

In Glina, Plenkovic visited the premises of the Glina wood-processing company within the Serif Group, which is currently providing accommodation for the people in distress after the quake.

The Serif Group's director, Elmir Barakovic, thanked the Red Cross and volunteers and said that the situation was calming down after chaos in the first three days after the quake.

"This is normal. I cannot see any country in the world being able to forecast such developments and to deal with the aftermath in one day," Barakovic said.

Text: Hina

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