FINDINGS FROM A STUDY ON CRISIS MANAGEMENT OF FLOODS – NOVEMBER 1998

Abstract

In November 1998, almost all the major rivers in Slovenia flooded as a result of the high amounts of precipitation and saturated soil from previous floods that year. A cognitive-institutional analysis of crisis management activities has shown that any kind of crisis management system cannot compensate for failures and deficiencies which are present in the preventive phase. Therefore, the timely prediction of heavy precipitation and floods, the timely notification of the appropriate national, regional and local authorities, the timely notification of the population and the emergency prevention activities carried out by the water management companies did not prevent the dreadful flood. The torrential character of the Slovenian water flow additionally complicated the prediction of the extent and speed of the floods. The normal interagency path for the exchange of information on water levels was perceived as being too slow in most of the threatened regions. The need for the creation of a new kind of information network was evident, one which could convey information on water levels from the immediate vicinity of flooding waters faster than the Hydro-meteorological Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. With the new information network, the operational capability of protection and rescue services, which sometimes fall victim to floods, would be increased accordingly. The prioritization of protection and rescue activities during floods is logical, but it can also be a problem in respect to human rights. The mass media play a dual role in floods. They are used as a crisis notification tool and a crisis management oversight tool.