HAILSTORM AND FLOODS IN ČRNOMELJ AND ITS SURROUNDINGS ON 8 JUNE

Abstract

On the afternoon of Friday, 8 June 2018, Črnomelj and its wider surroundings were hit by a hailstorm. In the worst affected areas, hailstones measured up to 12 cm in diameter. The storm caused damage to crops, vehicles, and buildings in 25 settlements. The roofs of buildings suffered the most severe damage. The area struck by this natural disaster has 4,738 buildings, and over 2,000 of them were damaged. Additional damage to property and buildings was caused by precipitation, since the rain which fell later that day seeped in through the broken roofs of residential and commercial buildings. The emergency response, during which emergency protection measures were carried out, lasted six days. Municipal Civil Protection Headquarters and firefighters from across Slovenia were activated, and firefighters from Karlovac County, in the Republic of Croatia, came to their aid. Emergency protection measures consisted mostly of covering all the damaged buildings with PVC foil. In addition to firefighters, Civil Protection members, the Red Cross, service/construction work providers who had concluded contracts with the Municipality of Črnomelj, public services, commercial companies, and volunteers participated in the emergency response. In the rehabilitation phase after the storm, the Slovenian Armed Forces also significantly contributed to the normalization of the situation after the natural disaster.