AS OF 21 MAY 2014, 1600 EST

INJURED DEAD

UNKNOWN 51*

BACKGROUND

SERBIA

BiH

GOVERNMENT LINKS

EUROPEAN UNION ERCC Portal EU HUMANITARIAN AID AND PROTECTIONFACEBOOK| TwitterEUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRECOPERNICUS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICEECDC

US US EMBASSY BiHUSAID BiH UpdateUSAID – BiH US EMBASSY SERBIA USAID – SERBIA UN WHOUNICEFUN - BiHUN – Serbia OCHAWFPUNMAS

RED CROSSIFRC

HEALTH INFORMATIONFLOOD FLOOD RECOVERYFOOD WATER AND HYGIENE WORKERS SAFETYPREPARING FOR A FLOODWHO - FLOODING AND COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

PORTALS AND RESOURCESRELIEF WEBGDACPREVENTION WEB HUMANITARIAN EARLY WARNING SERVICEHUMANITY ROADMAPACTION THOAMS REUTERS FOUNDATION ASSESSMENT CAPACITIES PROJECT ACAPS NEWS: InSERBIATHE ECONOMIST BBCREUTERSCNN

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINAMINSTRY OF SECURITYBIH FEDERAL NEWS AGENCYMINISTRY OF DEFENSEMINISTRY OF HEALTHFEDERAL INSTITUTE FOR HYDROMETEOROLOGY

SERBIAPRIME MINISTERMINISTRY OF THE INTERIORMINISTRY OF DEFENSETWITER|FACEBOOKMINSTRY OF HEALTHMINISTRY OF MINING AND ENERGYMINISTRY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENTMINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

NUMBER LIKELY TO RISE

FLOOD UPDATE

YALE -TULANE SPECIAL REPORT – FLOODS IN THE BALKANS

WEATHER/HYDROLOGY

RISK ASSESSMENT

SITUTAION ANALYSIS

US SUPPORT

RED CROSS

UN SUPPORT

EU SUPPORT

BACKGROUND

TYPE OF DISASTER: CATASTROPHIC FLOODING WITH LANDSLIDES

LOCATIONS: THE BALKANS

SIITUATION: In May 2014, multiple floods affected a large area of Southeastern Europe. A low-pressure area named “Tamara” brought the worst of the flooding from 14–16 May. Rainfall in Serbia and Bosnia - Herzegovina was the heaviest in 120 years of recorded weather measurements. Flooding is ongoing with the peak of the flood wave on River Sava having not yet passed through Serbia. A large international aid operation is underway, with rescue helicopters from the European Union, US and Russia evacuating people from affected areas.

DEAD: At least 51 people are dead but this number is likely to increase in the next few days and as search and rescue efforts continue and flood waters subside. SERBIA: • On 15 May, the government of Serbia declared a State of Emergency for the

whole territory of the Republic, due to the floods caused by the heavy rainfall of the last few days.

• As of 16 May approx. 100,000 households were without electricity, as a large number of power plants have been flooded. The municipality of Ub is reported to be particularly affected .

• The government of Serbia has requested international assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA• Heavy rainfall affected Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 May. As of 16 May

morning, water levels are still increasing in the Vrbas river; water levels exceeded the emergency flood protection level at Delibašino Village .

Debris from a landslide and floodwaters surround houses on May 15 in the village of Topcic Polje in central Bosnia. SOURCE: CNN

• The Zenica-Doboj Canton is particularly affected. Many people in Maglaj are still waiting for evacuation.

• Throughout the country the transportation network has been damaged in several places. Some cities and villages are without electricity and water supply

• The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has requested international assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

• Flooding continues to be extreme along portions of the Sava River and river levels are still rising in locations downstream of Å Abac. Rising waters along the Sava River continue to threaten villages especially between Å Abac and Belgrade.

• Of particular concern is a power plant located in the town of Obrenovac which supplies power to half of Serbia. The town has already experienced significant flooding, and water levels are expected to continue to rise and put the power plant at increased risk.

• In addition to the Sava River, the next greatest threat is the Danube(Dunav) River.

• Numerous tributaries that flow into the Danube, including the Sava River, are experiencing elevated conditions. As water continues to flow from these tributaries into the Danube, water levels will continue to rise in the Danube.

• Of additional concern is the city of Belgrade , which is at the confluence of two major rivers that are experiencing water level rises- the Sava and the Danube.

• Current flood forecasts from the Serbia Hydrometeorological Service indicate river levels will approach Very significant water stage. Although significant rains are not expected through 23 May, water will continue to flow downstream, and river levels will remain elevated along the Sava River through at least 23 May.

• In general river levels in west Serbia will continue to decrease (with the exception of the Danube), while water levels will continue to rise downstream.

CURRENT FLOOD SITUATION

(18 MAY 2013)

(19 MAY 2014)

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured an image of flooding in Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina on May 19, 2014. The second image shows the same area one year ago during a more typical spring. NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY

DARTMOUTH FLOOD OBSERVATORY

RAPID RESPONSE MAPPING OF THE 2014 FLOODING IN BIH AND SERBIA(20 MAY 2014)

In Bosnia and Herzegovina water levels show a stagnating (SEE AREAS IN RED) or decreasing tendency. However, they are still above

extraordinary flood defense levels at some locations of the Sava, Una and Vrbas River.

WEATHER(TUZLA, BiH)

SOURCE: http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:00000.1.14557

http://www.fhmzbih.gov.ba/latinica/HIDROLOGIJA/H-avodostaji.php• Over 100mm of rainfall was recorded over Bosnia and Serbia

during Wednesday and Thursday last week (14th & 15th May 2014), with media reports of much higher rainfall accumulations in places.The heavy rainfall was caused by a slow moving area of low pressure through the whole depth of the atmosphere

• The system that caused the heavy rainfall has now moved away eastwards with predominately dry weather expected for the rest of this week.

• Temperatures are expected to be close to normal for the time of year with relatively light winds. However the longer range forecast shows the potential for further heavy rainfall next week.

WEATHER(BELGRADE, SERBIA)

SOURCE: http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:00000.1.13274

DANUBE RIVER

SAVA RIVER

RIVER STATUS

DANUBE (DUNAV) RISING

DRAVA STAGNATION

TISA RISING

SAVA: UPSTREAM ŠABAC SLIGHT FALLING, DOWNSTREAM SLIGHT RISING

DRINA  SLIGHT FALLING

MORAVA FALLING

REPUBLIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL SERVICE OF SERBIA

IMMEDIATE PRIOIRTIES• Search and Rescue • Evacuation• Shelter• Access to clean drinking water• Sanitation• Food • Emergency medical care

PRIORITIES FOR INTERVENTIONS IN THE COMING WEEKS • Dewatering • Debris removal• Restoration of utilities• Access to food and clean water• Emergency shelter and support for re-building damaged houses • Food and non-food items • Psychosocial support • Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene items• Basic health services (medical supplies and transportation/evacuation

to the hospitals)• Public Health /sanitation

.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

CONSTRAINTS • Access to rural and remote areas will be a critical challenge in the

coming days and weeks. • Damaged roads and bridges are major obstacles in gaining access to,

and evacuating affected people, and certain areas are only accessible by boat or helicopter until the flood waters recede.

• The floods and landslides have raised the risk of injury or death from land mines left over from the wars in the 1990s, due to the fact that landslides swept away many of the warning signs around the minefields.

HUMANITARIAN AND OPERATIONAL CONSTRAINTS • Access to rural and remote areas will provide significant challenges in

the coming days and weeks.• Roads, bridges and utility infrastructures are damaged. • There are serious shortages of emergency response vehicles and

equipment necessary to respond to a disaster of this scope and scale. • The lack of financial and physical resources will further constrain the

response

SOURCES: EU PRES RELEASE 17 MAY 2014SERBIAN PRIME MINISTERIFRC - EMERGENCY PLAN OF ACTION (EPOA) BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: FLOODS ACTALLIANCE ALELERT MSG 18 MAY 2014ACAP BRIEFING NOTES – FLOODS IN SERBIA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 19 MAY 2014WFP – SERBIA/BiH FLOOD EMERGENCY – 19 MAY 2014

Heavy machinery is clearing streets in Topcic, near the Bosnian town of Zenica, after a landslide. BBC

This week mobile teams consisting of representatives of the UN, WB, EU and the US will visit flood-affected communities to conduct the needs assessment in BiH (UNICEF)

RISK ASSESSMENTBOSNIA AND HERTZEGOVINA

• Along with the heavy rains, in some parts of the country snowfalls caused problems, in particular in the mountains of Trebevic, Jahorina and Karaula, hence the possibility of more floods and landslide cannot be excluded

• Weather forecasts indicate that rain is likely to continue in the following few days. Therefore there is a potential for further flooding across the central, northern and eastern parts of the country.

• Among the areas at risk are the municipalities of Maglaj, Donoj, Zenica, Bijeljina, Banja Luka Tuzla, Brčko, Modriči, Bosanskom Šamcu, Vareš, Gradačac, Mrkonjić-Grad, Zvornik, and Prijedor.

• 2,000 landslides, road blockages and infrastructure damages have further worsened the situation and relief efforts. There are reports that landmines that had been buried during the conflict and have not yet been removed are in some instances being shifted to the ground surface with the landslides, adding to the risk of injury to people living in the areas as well as rescuers.

SERBIA

• Prolonged high water levels are still to be expected, which can cause an eventual collapse or leakage of the dams and the whole river defense system.

• More rainfall is also predicted for the coming two weeks, thus new flooding waves are expected on the Sava and the Morava rivers. Among the areas at risk are the municipalities of Belgrade, Obrenovac,Sabac, Ub, Sremska Mitrovica, Svilajnac, Smederevo, Pozarevac, Paracin, Jagodina and Krupanj.

• The most seriously affected regions in Serbia are Kolubara, Mačva and Morava. The town of Obrenovac (30 kilometres north of Belgrade) has been the hardest hit, and the entire town is now being evacuated amid warnings of more flooding .

• The area along the Sava River, west of Belgrade, is also among the places worst hit by the flooding.

• Flooding is still ongoing. In Sabac, water levels rose by 6.2 meters.

• Although major environmental accidents in the form of industrial pollution have been avoided, high levels of pesticide concentrations and fecal contamination have been identified in the flood waters.

• Over 1000 lands slides have occurred, furthering worsening the damage. The threat of additional landslides still remains.

• Public health issues are likely to arise in both countries due to sanitation issues that are likely to develop as flood waters recede.

• With the stagnated water and warmer weather, mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus are also a risk.

MINISTRY OF SECURITY http://www.msb.gov.ba/Default.aspx?langTag=en-US&pageIndex=1

MINISTRY OF DEFENSE http://www.mod.gov.ba/aktuelnosti/vijesti/?id=32871

MINSTRY OF HEALTH http://www.fmoh.gov.ba/

FEDERAL INSTITUTE FOR HYDROMETEOROLOGY

http://www.fhmzbih.gov.ba/latinica/index.php

SITUATION

(BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA (BiH)

FATALITIES: 24 confirmed fatalities

INJURED: Unknown

DESTRUCTION: Wide spread. The municipalities of Maglaj and Doboj are completely under water. The heavy rains have also triggered 2,000 landslide which have buried homes and disturbed landmines from the war in the 1990s.

EVACUATION: 40,000 people have been displaced

UTILITIES: 38,500 households are without electricity

WATER: 1 million cut off from clean water

TRANSPORTATION: a large number of landslides and blocked a significant number of main and regional roads. Many bridges have collapsed

EMERGENCY DECLARATION: The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has requested international assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

BiH - LINKS

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Many cities in the North-East of the country are still under water or mud. Water levels are slowly declining, but the situation is still critical because of numerous landslides.

AFFECTED LOCATIONS/REGIONS:• Tuzla Canton, Sarajevo Canton, Zenica-Doboj, Canton, Bosnia-Podrinje

Canton, Una-Sana Canton, Brcko District, and Banja Luka, Doboj, Bijeljina, Odzak, Samac, Srebrenica regions.

• Most affected: Samac, Odzak, Orasje, Doboj, Bijeljina, Brcko, and Maglaj.

• Brčko: Floods are still affecting the areas of Vučilovci-Gorica,Vučilovci and Krepšić with water levels rising at a rate of 3cm/hr. Domaljevac, Bosanski Šamac and Odžak are now safe areas and are not expected to experience any further flooding.

EVACUATION AND RESCUE • All available rescue teams, police, firemen, mountain rescue services,

rafting clubs and local residents are on the ground assisting in the evacuation of the affected population.

• Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are engaged evacuated the municipality of Šekovići , Maglaj and settlement Matuzići. Helicopters have evacuated people from the northern towns of Samac and Modrica .

• BIH Armed Forces, EUFOR, NATO and US engaged in rescue efforts by helicopter. EUFOR forces have transported power units, food, water, medicine and medicinal support to Brcko, Bijeljina, Orašje and surrounding remote areas in the past two days.

SOURCE: MOS SITUATION UPDATE 16 MAY 2014 ECHO BiH -19 MAY 2014 ECHO FLASH REPORT 18 MAY 2014 ECHO BiH – 20 MAY 2014 UN COORDINATOR – 20 MAY 2014

SITUATION

(BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA (BiH) TRANSPORTATION

• Floods triggered a large number of landslides and blocked a significant number of main and regional roads.

• Many bridges have collapsed .

POWER• Around 38,500 homes are without electrify.

• Areas experiencing power outages are: Una Sana Canton, Zenica- Doboj Canton, areas surrounding Banja Luka, municipalities Bijeljina, Donji Žabar, Šamac,Modriča.

• The electrical power grid was severely affected in some areas and is slowly being restored. However, many areas remain without electricity and recovery may take a long timedue to the absence of replacement equipment and transformers.

LANDSLIDES: Municipalities Tuzla, Kalesija and Banovići are reported to be under severe threat of landslides.

CONTAMINATION: Pollution of the water supply system poses a potential health threat. The Federal Institution of Public Health warned of a high risk of infectious diseases epidemics in affected areas

Landslides triggered by the floods also raised the risk of injury or death from land mines left over from Bosnia's 1992-95 war. The landslides swept away many of the carefully placed warning signs around the minefields.

An aerial view shows a flooded area near the Northern-Bosnian town of Brcko on May 18, 2014. (AFP Photo / Elvis Barukcic)

SOURCE: MOS SITUATION UPDATE 16 MAY 2014 ECHO BiH -19 MAY 2014 ECHO FLASH REPORT 18 MAY 2014 ECHO BiH – 20 MAY 2014 UN COORDINATOR – 20 MAY 2014

http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ECDM_20140521_BiH_Serbia_Floods.pdf

PRIME MINISTER http://www.srbija.gov.rs/?change_lang=en

MINISTER OF INTERIOR http://www.mup.gov.rs/cms_eng/home.nsf/index-eng.html

MINISTRY OF DEFENSE http://www.mod.gov.rs/

MINSTRY OF HEALTH http://www.zdravlje.gov.rs/

REPUBLIC HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL SERVICE SERBIA

http://www.hidmet.gov.rs/eng/osmotreni/naslovna.php

SITUATION

(SERBIA)

FATALITIES: 27

INJURED: Unknown

DESTRUCTION: At least 3,000 kilometers of roads have been damaged, 250 bridges destroyed, and 2,500 residential facilities either destroyed or damaged.

EVACUATION: 31,873

UTILITIES: Electrical power system has been severely damaged. At least 26,000 households without electricity.

WATER: 300,000 do not have access to dinking water . Water management systems are affected and there is no drinking water in affected areas

TRANSPORTATION: a large number of landslides and blocked a significant number of main and regional roads. Many bridges have collapsed

EMERGENCY DECLARATION: The government of Serbia has requested international assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

SERBIA - LINKS

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Due to the recent heavy rains and floods, the most seriously affected regions are Kolubara, Macva and Morava. The situation still remains highly critical in Obrenovac, Sremska Raca and Jamena. The municipalities of Ub, Krupanj, Svilajnac, and Paracin are also among the worst hit

MAPACTION

SOURCE: ECHO FLASH REPORT 21 MAY 2014 GOVERNMENT OF REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

MIHAJLOVIC: ESTIMATES OF FLOOD-CAUSED DAMAGE BY MAY 30FLOODS IN THE BALKANS: FEARS OF ANOTHER SURGE | THE ECONOMISTSERBIA - FLOODS (MDRRRS009) – 21 MAY 2014PLAN FOR COUNTRY’S RECOVERY

SITUATION

(SERBIA)

.

EVACUATION OPERATIONS• Emergency Services evacuated and rescued over 30,000 people from the

affected areas.

• In Sabac, Wednesday, 21 MAY 2014, a preventive evacuation of children, women, the elderly and the sick continued

WATER• Water management systems are affected and there is no drinking water

TRANSPORTATION

• According to preliminary estimates, 3,500 km of a total of 17,000 km of roads of primary and secondary roads have suffered serious damaged

• Deep standing water, landslides and mudslides have contributed to the destruction of the road and rail networks making many routes impassable for passenger and freight traffic for a long time.

• RAIL• Serbian Railways restored the international rail traffic with Greece

and Bulgaria on the entire stretch from Belgrade to Thessaloniki and Sofia.on 19 MAY 2014.

• On 21 MAY Serbian Railways will begin international passenger traffic from Belgrade to Montenegro and Macedonia. The international passenger train from Belgrade to Montenegro will use the auxiliary route Rakovica-Mladenovac-Palanka-Velika Plana-Lapovo-Kragujevac-Kraljevo-Cacak-Uzice and further towards Bar. On the way back from Bar to Belgrade, the train will also use the auxiliary route.

• LANDSLIDES: Over a thousand landslides have been triggered in Serbia by flooding, the worst situation being in Kosjeric, Mali Zvornik, Bajina Basta and Gornji Milanovac, municipalities in mountainous parts of western Serbia.

CONTAMINATION • According to the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency, the floods that

have hit Serbia a having a devastating effect on the environment, but major environmental accidents in the form of industrial pollution have been avoided.

• The Agency has established an emergency team and last weekend’s tests on water from all flooded areas revealed higher pesticide concentrations and fecal contamination.

• The sanitization of the area will be followed by monitoring, in particular in flood-hit areas, to determine the extent of contamination, while removal of dead animals and disinfection have started in all areas from which the floodwater has receded.

POWER• The Prime Minister stated that the electric power industry has suffered by far

the greatest damage, estimating that the system has suffered damages worth more than €200 million ($273,560,000 US dollars)

• On 21 May 2014, workers of the Nikola Tesla A power plant have gathered with volunteers and colleagues from the state power giant EPS in Obrenovac, southwest of Belgrade, to build an additional bulwark around the plant and protect it from potential flooding.

Aerial footage showed flooding near Serbia's Tesla power plant

SOURCE: ECHO FLASH REPORT 21 MAY 2014 GOVERNMENT OF REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

MIHAJLOVIC: ESTIMATES OF FLOOD-CAUSED DAMAGE BY MAY 30FLOODS IN THE BALKANS: FEARS OF ANOTHER SURGE | THE ECONOMISTSERBIA - FLOODS (MDRRRS009) – 21 MAY 2014PLAN FOR COUNTRY’S RECOVERY

http://erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ERCMaps/ECDM_20140521_BiH_Serbia_Floods.pdf#page=2

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

• The Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RCSBiH) has been actively engaged in rescue and operation activities, providing relief and helping setting up centers and temporary accommodations for those evacuated.

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities have declared a state of emergency as hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in 14 municipalities, including Doboj, Maglaj, Brcko District, Olovo, Bijeljina, Lukavac, Kladanj, Srebrenica, Gradacac and Zvornik. The Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina delivered food parcels and drinking water on foot where the roads are blocked but also by jeep and boat.

• The National Society has mobilized its multipurpose teams in the affected areas, staff and volunteers are assisting authorities with evacuations as well as providing blankets, mattresses, drinking water, food and hygiene kits, rubber boots and water disinfectants to the affected people.

• In the Brcko District, one of the worst affected areas, Red Cross volunteers assisted by putting sand banks along the River Sava trying to prevent it from flooding dozens of villages.

• Unfortunately, the relief efforts are being hampered by the destroyed infrastructure, broken telecommunication, blackouts and difficult conditions in the field.

RED CROSS ACTIONSSERBIA• The Red Cross of Serbia has sent a team for field coordination and assessment

to the city of Valjevo on 14 May 2014 where the biggest evacuation took place.

• Following an initial assessment of needs and coordinated attempts of different rescue services the Red Cross sent out its water rescue teams who are joining the evacuation efforts . The water rescue teams visited 75 families, 9 of which have been evacuated from the city of Valjevo.

• In Obrenovac, 28 persons have been evacuated while 350 food parcels have been distributed by rescue boats to families refusing instructions to evacuate. In the same place, the Red Cross assisted with 150 evacuations along with other search and rescue efforts.

• Mobile technical teams are already helping people in the endangered cities where the water is receding, with the task of pumping the water out of the flooded houses and to engage wall dehumidifiers, in order to help people move back to their houses. More requests for RC mobile technical team assistance are pending.

• The urgent distribution of food and non-food items has been organized from the RC Disaster Management Warehouse. However, that distribution was delayed in some municipalities due to the inaccessible road infrastructure.

• Assistance to renew stocks of blankets, mattresses, cots, rubber boots, hygiene items, plus family parcels, cleaning kits, ready-to-eat meals and canned food, to be sent out to the evacuation points, will also be needed

The Red Cross societies of both countries have been actively engaged in rescue- and operation activities, providing relief and helping setting up centers for those evacuated. Red Cross of Serbia (IFRC)

• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has released funds through the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund for both countries, which will be used to replenish stocks and to cover early recovery measures and materials.

• So far, the Serbia Red Cross has assessed the need for materials and additional equipment for water drainage, dehumidifiers assistance and replenishment of its depleted emergency stock of blankets, mattresses, cots, rubber boots and food items.

THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES

IFRC – PRESS RELEASE 16 MAY 2014IFRC – PRESS RELEASE 18 MAY 2014

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - FLOODS (MDRBA009) – 19 MAY 2014SERBIA - FLOODS (MDRRRS009) – 21 MAY 2014

UN RESPONSE

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs has dispatched a team of UN disaster assessment experts to the region .

In addition, teams from the UN World Food Program (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund, (UNICEF) the UN Development Program (UNDP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are working with the authorities to help assess people's needs and provide food, clean water and sanitation support and debris removal.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAM

• WFP announced that it had sent a second batch of emergency relief items to Serbia. The shipment included water tanks, generators and inflatable boats provided by WFP and the Norwegian Government.

• A further flight is scheduled on 19 MAY to Tuzla, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with tents and water containers and purification equipment also from the Norwegian Government.

• WFP says that it will launch a $1.5 million operation to respond to immediate humanitarian needs upon a request from the Government of Serbia and in coordination with the authorities there and other UN organizations on the ground.

• In Bosnia-Herzegovina, where floods have exceeded emergency levels in the north, WFP is planning to send life-saving food assistance to 150,000 of the most vulnerable flood-affected people.

UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF RALLIES SUPPORT FOR FLOOD-HIT BALKAN REGIONS UNHRD

EUROPEAN UNION RESPONSE• The European Union is providing coordinated assistance through the EU Civil

Protection Mechanism which has been activated upon the request of Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina due to the severe flooding in the two countries.

• A total of 19 EU Member States offered assistance such as motor boats, helicopters and pumps and deployed nearly 400 relief workers to the two countries of which around 235 to Serbia and over 150 to Bosnia & Herzegovina.

• Two EU Civil Protection teams have been sent to Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina to help with the coordination of relief efforts.

• Bulgaria, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Croatia, Slovakia, Denmark, Italy, Romania and Poland have offered rescue boats, high capacity pumps and operational teams to Serbia.

• Austria, Slovenia, Luxembourg, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Romania and Poland responded to the request of Bosnia & Herzegovina for rescue and evacuation helicopters, motor boats, generators, sandbags, tents, blankets and humanitarian aid kits.

• The European Commission is also providing satellite imagery of the flooded areas to the relevant authorities in the two countries and is co-financing the transportation costs of aid.

• On Friday, 15 May, in the evening, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated due to severe flooding that has affected Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. 19 Member States have so far offered assistance through the Mechanism.

• Most of the assistance has arrived to the countries affected during the weekend of 17 and 18 May, the rest of it is underway. Offers for assistance by Member States keep coming in. The European Commission co-finances the assistance transportation costs. In addition, satellite imagery of the affected areas is being produced by the EC.

• An EU Civil Protection Team has arrived in Serbia on Saturday, 17 May, and in Bosnia & Herzegovina on Sunday, 18 May, to assist the national authorities in their response to the wide scale flooding and to support the coordination of the incoming EU assistance.

• On 20 May, an EU humanitarian expert has been deployed to Serbia to support the assessment of humanitarian needs on the ground.

• The European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre

(ERCC) is in constant contact with both affected countries and with the participating states in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, matching the incoming offers for assistance with needs on the ground.

• The Emergency Mapping Service of the European Union's Copernicus program was activated to provide satellite-based maps of the severe floods in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. The service produced four maps for Croatia, 18 maps for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 20 maps of Serbia.

Extent of floods near Jagodina, Serbia on 15 May 2014 (UN-SPIDER)

US RESPONSE The US embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have set in motion processes that will provide additional funds and resources to help deal with the disaster, and USAID has deployed humanitarian experts to assist with response efforts.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA • On May 15, Charge d’Affaires Nicholas Hill issued a disaster declaration to

support immediate relief efforts.

• USAID procured search and rescue boats

• Five semi-trucks from U.S. Army Garrison Livorno (Camp Darby) in Italy are en route to BiH containing over 25 tons of emergency relief supplies valued at approximately $700,000, including: nearly 1,200 sleeping bags, cots, mats, and blankets; 720 water cans; 200 fuel cans; 3 portable kitchen sets; 14 space heaters; 7 generators; 15 water pumps; and other supplies.

• The US is also facilitating the re-calibration of helicopter tools necessary to support the AFBiH’s extensive search and rescue efforts. Tools were flown from BiH on May 17 to U.S. facilities in Germany for re-calibration May 18 and are expected to be returned to BiH shortly. This effort will ensure continued operation of two AFBiH UH1 Huey helicopters and assist in getting three additional UH1 Huey helicopters owned by the AFBiH up and supporting emergency response efforts.

DOS PRESS RELEASE – 19 MAY 2014US EMBASSY BIHUSAID BIH UPDATEUSAID – BIH US EMBASSY SERBIA USAID – SERBIA

SERBIA• Ambassador Michael D. Kirby issued a disaster declaration to support

immediate relief efforts.

• The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance will release USD 100,000 to the Serbian Red Cross to purchase needed items locally for immediate relief efforts. The Red Cross has provided a list of urgently needed supplies, including rubber boats and other rescue equipment, water pumps, generators, sand bags, basic hygiene equipment, bed cots, blankets, and rain gear that the Red Cross would use or distribute to affected communities.

The U.S. Government continues to work urgently to identify other possible military and civilian support for relief efforts, particularly additional boats for search, rescue, cleanup and recovery efforts, and water purification systems.

To help victims of the worst flooding in 130 years, USAID/BiH procured 13 boats to evacuate families in the most affected areas. USAID staff also delivered food and clothing directly to families who lost their homes in mudslides caused by the heavy rains.

Ambassador Kirby, U.S. diplomats and embassy staff rolled up their sleeves and prepared a few hundred bags to help strengthen Belgrade’s coast threatened by flooding. (US EMBASSY)