ZAGREB, 7 January 2021 - The requirements for the temporary accommodation of people from earthquake-hit areas are expected to be met in the next few weeks, Economy Minister Tomislav Coric said on Thursday after meeting with domestic container home manufacturers.
The idea is to meet all the requirements with domestic containers, some imported, and to procure mobile homes, he told the press, adding that between 1,000 and 1,500 temporary accommodation units were necessary.
Since the construction of lasting buildings can begin only when weather conditions allow and the whole process will take time, the state would rather buy than rent container homes, which will be owned by the state, Coric said.
Efforts are being made to expedite the delivery of temporary accommodation units as none are available in the wake of the Zagreb earthquake in March, last week's tremor in the Banovina region and the pandemic, he said.
Larger deliveries are expected as of the middle of next week, when production will reach its peak, he added.
The government insists that temporary accommodation units be as equipped as possible, Coric said, adding that modular houses with maximum earthquake resistance were one of the solutions.
Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said she would meet with hoteliers on Friday to see how much accommodation was still available, adding that to date the sector had donated 114 mobile homes.
Josip Mihalic, owner of Jedinstvo, which makes container homes, said his company would deliver 350 for the quake victims within 40 days, including 250 ordered by the government, and that 500 could be made in two months.
He said Jedinstvo already sent 250 container homes to the earthquake-hit Banija region which had been intended for export to Switzerland and Austria.
