Chief of the General Staff visits the flooded areas

 Earlier on Saturday additional 125 members of the Croatian Armed Forces,  equipped with machines and transportation means, came to assist the residents of the villages of Žažina, Staro Pračno, Letovanić and Stari Brod, and 1000 more members have been placed in alert should the situation.worsen. Upon the request from the National Search and Rescue Directorate on 13 February 2014  a first group of 100 servicemen were drafted in to  assist the flood-affected residents of the villages Letovanić and Žažina in the Lekenik Municipality.

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On 14 February 2014 300 servicemen were deployed to build dikes at Žažina, Letovanić, Stari Brod and Staro Pračno.

The Armed Forces, the firemen and members of the National Search and Rescue Directorate joined the efforts to assist the local authorities and the residents of the flooded areas, and closely monitor the critical locations in the County.
Visiting the deployed members of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Drago Lovrić met with the Mayor of Sisak and of the Municipality of Lekenik, who informed him on the situation in the area and extended their gratitude to the Armed Forces for assisting them in the critical situation.

The Chief of the General Staff emphasised that the Armed Forces were fulfilling all the tasks entrusted to them, including the assistance to the civilian structures and citizens in the critical situations exceeding the resources available to the civilian bodies. “The Croatian Armed Forces have put additional forces on the alert, including the amphibious vehicles, boats, divers and helicopters to provide assistance at any time should the responsible bodies request so”, said General Lovrić talking to the local government officials.

The members of the Armed Forces remain on the site, monitoring the situation and the water levels of the rivers and the dikes. The forces in the field are co-ordinated by Colonel Robert Suntešić, and commanded by the General Staff Operations Centre, which is also in charge of the co-ordination with the other government bodies and local authorities fighting the floods.
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