April 17, 2023 - It has been over 3 years since the earthquake. How is the Banovina reconstruction coming along? Stevo and Mira Vilić from Majsko Trtnik have lived in a barn since the earthquake.

Their house is in a catastrophic state, and the donated container is leaking onto their bed, writes 24Sata after a visit to the Vilić family.

"Three years, man. We've been sleeping in a barn for three years", shouts Stevo Vilić, spreading his arms in front of his cracked house. 24Sata went to Majski Trtnik, to the address Stevo has called his home since birth.

"I've lived here all my life. Born here. Back then, you didn't go to Glina to give birth, but a midwife from Vlahovići would come to you. So we were born in the house," describes Stevo; behind him are the old walls. His wife Mira keeps trying to serve us, offering drinks.

"Come on, have some cola. Drink some. So that you don't sit here empty-handed," says the hunched-over woman.

The Vilići house was destroyed in the Banovina earthquake. The walls have separated, and you can see the holes. The series of tremors that followed only made the situation worse. You can't live there anymore. It's not wise to even go inside.

"I'd never experienced this. When it happened, I immediately went upstairs to cover the roof. It never crossed my mind that there could be more earthquakes. It was exposed; I covered it as much as possible to keep the house dry. Seventy years on my back," says the old man. He takes the crew inside.

"It's a disaster. Our sticker is not red. The first time they came, we got a yellow one. After that, no one came; this is the third year. They haven't been here at all, just that one time. And for me, all the documentation, all the papers, everything is fine. The house has a usage permit; everything is there, and I am the sole owner. There, see how it cracked. The walls below, the foundations, everything cracked. Nothing can be done in the house. Come in, see. There, see the holes in the walls. Cracked there, cracked upstairs, everywhere. Look at the garage; that hurts the most. As if it was shelled. See how it cracked. Disaster, you can't stay in the house. If it were possible, I wouldn't be living in the barn", says Stevo and returns to the house. He's showing what used to be the kitchen.

He and his wife have lived in the next-door barn for three years. There was no other way. They say they received a container, but it also started to leak. Little by little, Stevo and Mira built a stable space, making it somewhat bearable for living. That's not in good shape, either.

"I didn't even register the barn. At least let this be resolved so that there is somewhere I can make food. If you can't make yourself food, you have nothing. You can't live. And this - cows used to live here. And now it's me. The cows are gone; I used to keep them long ago in cooperation with Belje. Now, here, we live on a 1,200 kuna pension. And they bring us lunch. They didn't want to admit her to Public Works, though she submitted all the papers," says the man and leads the crew into the former barn.

There are planks nailed to the ceiling that is too high—lined with nylon. Two beds squeezed into one corner. They built a furnace into which they would throw big logs to keep warm for longer. Smoke. Moisture clinging to the walls. The floor is not level; it is on a downhill slope.

"I renovated everything after the earthquake. On my own, of course. I built this. Put up boards and nylon. The furnace has to be lit constantly, and it is difficult to heat this space. It was good for the cows but for us... Here's this, we made this ourselves. Got it all out. I made this wall. They promised to come and help, but nothing came of it," Stevo shakes his head.

Mira points her finger at the opposite wall of the 'bedroom'.

"This is a hole. As it started to leak, we ran out in our underpants to make a hole so the water could escape somewhere. Because it is on a slope, we might be sleeping; it starts to rain, so we run, close, and open the hole. And mice live there. Running around. It stinks in here. Barn, what are you going to do - the women shrug.

She had surgeries on her gallbladder and uterus. Stevo has got issues with his prostate; he is on medication.

"You see, we have nothing to lie to you about. I can't understand that. I'm not saying that you should cry; I'm not crying. I don't like to complain. But what is normal... I'm not asking for much. We just need a small, ordinary, wooden house. Just to have a place to lie down and make something to eat. Let alone have someone visit. I'm ashamed to show them this," says the old man. He points to the stove; he received it from a donation.

They lead the crew to the container.

"It's leaking; you can't stay there. It all falls on the bed. They mentioned something about putting some kind of roof on the container, but there is moisture there. We've been in the barn ever since the thing happened. If it weren't for the barn, we wouldn't have a place to stay. I can't believe I had to experience that, to sleep in a barn," - seventy-year-old Vilić shakes his head.

"Have some cola," Mira tried one more time before the crew left.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

April 14, 2023 - Croatian and Polish Caritas will restore 20 family houses in Banovina, build seven new prefabricated houses, and install 30 underground tanks for drinking water, thereby helping 57 families in the earthquake-affected area.

As Index writes, this is a joint project to improve the living conditions of people affected by the 2020 earthquake in Banovina, and the implementation of the project was made possible by monetary donations from Polish and Croatian citizens, who together donated 1,420,641,65 euros.

Of that amount, Polish Caritas donated EUR 920,641.65, the largest donation that Croatian Caritas has received from a national Caritas. For that, it is extremely grateful to Polish citizens and Polish Caritas, the press release states.

Reconstruction of 20 damaged houses and construction of seven prefabricated houses

Croatian and Polish Caritas signed a contract on the implementation of the project; preparatory activities began on January 1, 2023, primarily intending to carry out structural and non-structural renovation of 20 damaged family houses and the construction of seven new replacement prefabricated houses.

This part of the project includes 27 socially vulnerable, multi-member families who currently live in Caritas' modular housing units, where Croatian Caritas has provided housing for more than 540 people who died in the earthquake in Banovina from 2021 to today.

Support for this part of the project is provided by the Republic of Croatia, as a friend of the donors, because the new Law on Reconstruction provides for the project "Country - Friend of Donors", to remove damaged family houses, clean the land and lay the foundations for those residential buildings that will be built by donors. The Republic of Croatia will do this for seven prefabricated houses that will be built by Croatian and Polish Caritas, the press release states.

Drinking water for 30 families

The communal part of the joint project of the two Caritas will provide drinking water for 30 families. The plan is to install underground water tanks for families in the wider area of the city of Glina, in villages that do not have access to drinking water, and whose wells were damaged in the earthquake. The acquisition of a tank for the delivery of drinking water is also planned.

"Helping people in need is a clear sign of the care of the Caritas family in Croatia and the world and is an expression of active love, which reflects a complete concern for the good of man.

Caritas' mission is concrete help to people in need, regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliation. Caritas, its employees, and numerous volunteers, as well as benefactors, are inspired by the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, who said: 'Whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,'" said the director of Croatian Caritas, Fr. Tomislav Glavnik.

The duration of the project is two years

The planned duration of the project is two years, but it is expected that most of the activities will be completed by the end of 2023.

In addition to this project, Croatian Caritas also implements five other projects in cooperation with the Diocese of Sisak and Caritas of the Diocese of Sisak, worth almost 800,000.00 euros, which include the renovation of the premises of the Caritas Parish of St. Lovre in Petrinja, renovation of the premises of Caritas and the parish house in Glina.

This also includes the renovation of the House for the accommodation of female students of the Pedagogical Academy in Petrinja, the carer program of Caritas Sisak Diocese, and support for increasing the capacity of the Caritas Soup Kitchen in Sisak.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.

January 21, 2023 - Three Makarska volunteers, the people behind the initiative "Makarska Riviera and Friends - With Hearts for Petrinja" truly deserved the "Pride of Croatia" award. Their kindness of people gathered around the action helped restore the house of Božidar Boltužić's family of six in Jabukovec near Petrinja.

As HRT / Poslovni write, this is the first completely renovated home in the area affected by the earthquake.

"After the earthquake, the structural engineers came, followed by Mijo Pašalić, Škaro and Jovica Šegan who told us that they would help us rebuild the house," says Božidar Boltužić, Jabukovac.

Four months after they made that promise, the old house was demolished, and the work on the new one lasted until the beginning of September. The fully equipped two-story house was ready to move into. All good things happen spontaneously, and so did this story, according to the friends who started the initiative and, despite numerous obstacles, finished the job brilliantly. And it all started - the day after New Year's Eve. Over a coffee.

"At one point, it dawned on me - look how nice we have it here, we're having fun, and just two days ago, unfortunately, a huge tragedy happened in Petrinja", said Josko Šarić Škaro, Makarska.

On the second day of New Year 2021, Josko and Jovica headed to Petrinja. There was no time to waste, they knew, and they wanted to help at least one unfortunate family. The home of the Boltužić family was completely unusable, and the family had no alternative accommodation.

"We collected the documentation and when we had everything according to the construction law, we demolished the existing building. It is important to point out is that we wanted the facility to be in the existing dimensions that the family had before, not to make a smaller facility," says Jovica Šegan, Makarska.

The 230-square-meter house cost almost HRK 1,400,000. Seventy-five Makarska volunteers joined the initiative of these three successful entrepreneurs. "We are proud of how it started, how many people we gathered and how it all ended beautifully. After eight months of preparation and construction, we are incredibly proud", concluded Mijo Pašalić.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

December the 7th, 2022 - Ever since the devastating Banovina earthquake which struck right at the very end of December 2020, the ground in that part of the country has kept on moving. It doesn't seem likely to stop anytime soon given the fact that traumatised residents were woken at around 02:00 this morning by yet another earthquake.

Parts of Central Croatia, particularly the wider Sisak-Moslavina County area, still look as if time has stood still since that fateful natural disaster back at the very end of the pandemic-dominated year of 2020. The government talks big and there are many promises of funds being poured into the renovation of the Banovina (or Banija, if you like) area following that event, but the reality is that many families who lost their properties to nature are still living in containers. 

The last thing the residents of this very active part of the country, at least in terms of earthquakes, need, is yet another Banovina earthquake. Although incomparable to the ones which struck in December 2020, the one which woke people with the shaking of the ground and their homes during the early hours of this morning was enough to make memories come flooding back for most people.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the residents of Banovina were awoken by the shaking of the ground at around 02:00 in the morning whrn they felt the Banovina earthquake with an epicentre just eleven kilometres from Petrinja, strike. It was also felt right here in the wider Zagreb area but to a far lesser degree.

"The sound was terrifying. When it started, the house shook for about ten seconds, and then there was more rocking. It hasn't been like this for a long time," one of the residents of Glina, an area heavily damaged by 2020's earthquake, wrote on the EMSC website.

For more, make sure to check out our news section.

ZAGREB, 20 May 2022 - The Croatian Red Cross on Friday said that 1,036 wells had been remediated so far in the quake-hit Banovina, and more than 2,500 had submitted a request for their well to be repaired, having been left without potable and technical water.

Although a year and a half has passed since the strong earthquakes, the Croatian Red Cross said that the residents of Banovina still faced water shortage problems, especially in rural areas, where people depend on well water.

In that area, most wells are in a bad condition due to many years without maintenance and major damage after the earthquake, and the earthquake also led to contamination of groundwater so well water does not meet health standards.

Unfortunately, it is not enough to clean a well once, but we have to do it several times to improve its capacity and the quality of water because sludge keeps returning due to frequent tremors, said Robert Markt, Executive President of the Croatian Red Cross.

He added that this was one of the reasons why the process had been taking so long and did not go as fast as people would like it to.

He pointed out that the team of the Croatian Red Cross had so far rehabilitated 1,036 wells.

Wells' rehabilitation, he stressed, is a complex and risky job, especially in an area where earthquakes still occur.

The Croatian Red Cross said that thanks to support from The Coca-Cola Foundation, which had donated more than HRK 700,000, significant funds had been invested over the past year in the purchase of equipment for good rehabilitation, as well as for training.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 5 May 2022 - The Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing has agreed on the construction of 216 substitute family houses at 43 locations in the earthquake-struck Banovina region, the Office said in a statement on Thursday.

The office said that 59 contracts, worth a total of HRK 180 million (€24m), were signed for this purpose with 11 contractors.

Also agreed was the removal of 150 damaged family houses, which would cost HRK 14.12 million (€1.88m) and would be carried out by 12 companies.

The office has so far repaired 2,354 family houses and 910 houses are being repaired. HRK 92.89 (€12.4m) million has been spent on non-structural reconstruction and 44 companies have been hired for this purpose. It has also received 606 decisions on structural reconstruction from the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets.

For more, check out our politics section.

ZAGREB, 11 Feb 2022 - Over the past fortnight 100 houses have been reconstructed per week, the task force dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake which hit the Banovina region in December 2020 said at a meeting in Petrinja on Friday.

The value of the works contracted to date is HRK 280 million, HRK 457 million worth of works are at the procurement stage, and HRK 1.2 billion worth of reconstruction works will be contracted by June.

To date, 1,428 houses have been reconstructed, said Gordan Hanžek, state secretary at the State Reconstruction and Housing Office. He added that homeowners have reconstructed 692 houses on their own.

Works are underway on more than 1,000 houses, Hanžek said.

As for the construction of family houses, 60 contracts have been signed with contractors and the construction of another dozen houses should begin next week, he said.

Another 56 houses are in the final administrative stage and construction should begin by the end of the month, by which time the construction of more than 160 houses should be contracted, he added.

Hanžek said the start of seismic retrofitting had been markedly stepped up and that a tender was expected by the end of the month. Documents are being prepared for about 400 houses and about 15% of the houses inspected so far should be torn down, he added.

Hanžek said tenders for the construction of four blocks of flats in Glina would be launched on Monday and Tuesday.

To date, the Construction Ministry has adopted 1,203 decisions on the reconstruction, construction or demolition of quake-damaged houses in Banovina.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

For more, check out our politics section.

October the 16th, 2021 - The situation with the Banovina post-earthquake reconstruction process isn't particularly positive. This likely comes as no real surprise to those of us living in Zagreb, where certain areas still look as if the earthquake of March 2020 happened far more recently than it did.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, it was said on Wednesday at a round table called ''the reconstruction and development of Banovina'' that things with the Banovina post-earthquake reconstrction process weren't going quickly enough, but that it all can be fixed.

The round table on the matter was organised by the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, and according to Velibor Mackic, the president's special adviser for the economy, it's necessary to separate reconstruction and development when it comes to this Central Croatian area which was struck by a devastating earthquake at the very end of last year.

"Representatives of the EBRD said that the funds for this are available, but that they're waiting for infrastructure projects," said Mackic, and warned that the development part of this process "remained in the lurch."

Those present agreed that all previous projects related to Banovina are applicable within the existing law. Asked if bottlenecks have been located in in the area, which is why the reconstruction process is taking so long, he answered that bottlenecks aren't something that should come as a surprise to anyone.

According to him, it is crucial to manage the development of the area during the Banovina post-earthquake reconstruction process, and has called for rapid public sector intervention.

"It's necessary for some things to be settled, and we believe that the state can help: from settling the situation in the process of reconstruction, and to speed it up. It's necessary to enter that space regardless of the disorder of ownership relations,'' said Mackic.

Along with the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, the round table was attended by representatives of the World Bank Office in Croatia, HAZU, EBRD, and HUP.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.