March 22, 2022 - The City Administration of Petrinja has decided to close the container settlement in Češko selo after many of its residents have returned to their rebuilt houses after the earthquake, while others have been relocated to other container settlements.

On December 29, 2020, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit central Croatia, with an epicenter located roughly 3 km (1.9 mi) west-southwest of Petrinja. Serious damage was recorded in the city of Petrinja, as well as in the county of Sisak-Moslavina, and was even strongly felt in Zagreb, which had just suffered an earthquake in March of the same year. Many Petrinja residents had to leave their homes due to the damage, and as a temporary measure, the Government and the city of Petrinja designed and built a container settlement in different locations, while their houses were rebuilt.

As reported by Index.hr, the city of Petrinja put the container settlement in Češko selo out of operation in March of this year because some users returned to their homes rebuilt after the earthquake, and some were relocated to two other container settlements, the Petrinja City Administration has learned today.

The audit of the situation in all container settlements, which was conducted in February this year, established that by reorganizing and relocating the users of container settlements, it is possible to put the settlement out of operation. 

Some of the users returned to their homes

Users whose facilities are safe to live in and rebuilt after the devastating earthquake in Banija have returned to their homes, while other users have been relocated to a container settlement in Sajmište or Mošćenice.

The city of Petrinja had costs of approximately HRK 75,000 per month for the container settlement in Češko selo (for the cost of rent, electricity, and water).

The city hopes to end the use of container settlements soon

Currently, the containers, which the City of Petrinja received for use, are being returned to the company CROSCO, which they own, the City of Petrinja stated on its website.

They add that they hope that the need for other container settlements will soon cease and that the residents will return to their renovated houses.

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