ZAGREB, 5 January 2020 - Deputy PM Tomo Medved, who heads the task force dealing with the aftermath of the December 29 earthquake, has said that the exact number of people who have stayed in their homes in the quake-hit areas will be determined, as will the whereabouts of people who have left their place of residence.

After the first meeting of the task force dealing with the consequences of the earthquake that hit Sisak-Moslavina, Zagreb and Karlovac counties, held in Petrinja on Monday evening, Medved, who is Deputy Prime Minister and War Veterans Minister, said that he had asked for detailed information on how many people had stayed in their homes in the quake-hit areas, whether they be fit for human occupancy or not, as well as on people who had left their homes and their whereabouts.

This is being done so that we could have complete control over who lives in what kind of conditions, Medved told reporters after the meeting of the task force.

He said that according to information available to him, there was no settlement in the earthquake-hit area of Banovina where intervention teams were not present, but noted that it was possible that not every household had been accessed.

Asked about criminal liability for the poorly done post-war reconstruction of houses in Banovina, which were again heavily damaged by the earthquake, Medved said that he would refrain from commenting as preliminary investigations had been announced.

Zinic: I was not in charge of quality control after post-war reconstruction

Asked if he felt personally responsible for the poor quality of post-war housing reconstruction, Sisak-Moslavina County head Ivo Zinic, who at the time was the chief engineer at the Reconstruction Ministry, said that he did not because at the time he "was not in charge of quality control."

He added that a number of stakeholders had been involved in the process of post-war reconstruction - from local consultancies and supervisors to contractors that did work for ministries.

There is a possibility that there were irregularities but the competent services will determine if the houses were built in line with the relevant regulations, Zinic said.

Those were new houses, designed and built by authorised companies, he said.

ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved said in Petrinja on Monday that the newly-established task force dealing with the aftermath of the December 29 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County, which he was heading, would operate 24 hours a day for all those in need of help.

Medved was appointed in line with a government decision to head the task force dealing with the consequences of the December 29 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina, Zagreb and Karlovac counties.

The task force held its first meeting in the Petrinja barracks on Monday evening.

"We have received reports on work done so far to remove the consequences of the earthquake (in Sisak-Moslavina County). We have heard reports from the county head and the mayors of Sisak, Glina and Petrinja. This task force will operate 24 hours a day," Medved said after the meeting, noting that all information on the task force staff and its phone numbers would be made available to the public on Tuesday.

The task force will coordinate its activities with the existing emergency and other services and will respond promptly to all current problems as well as plan future operations, in this case reconstruction, said Medved.

Earthquake affects 12 of 19 local gov't units in Sisak-Moslavina County

Sisak-Moslavina County head Ivo Zinic said that the December 29 earthquake had affected 12 of 19 local government units, four big towns and eight municipalities and close to 116,000 people, and that the property of more than 50,000 people had suffered extensive damage.

Thirty churches were damaged, of which ten collapsed, 40 schools have been damaged and 11 have been made unusable, and 3,000 family farms, 700 small businesses and 800 firms have suffered damage, he said.

The county crisis management team has been working in difficult circumstances from the very beginning, but it is functioning, five mobile teams of the county Civil Protection today visited 37 villages and 211 households, Zinic said.

He noted that the biggest problem was the accommodation of people whose houses had been destroyed and organised food preparation for the population and volunteers.

"We are already thinking about the revitalisation of this whole region, this may be an opportunity for that," he said.

17,000 requests for inspection by structural engineers

Construction Minister Darko Horvat said that currently there were more than 17,000 requests for inspection by structural engineers, that 700 structural engineers were out in the field on Monday and that more than 5,500 units were checked, of which 30% were no longer usable.

He said that the owners of properties made unusable by the earthquake were expected to give their consent for the removal of their property.

Units that have been damaged by the earthquake will be repaired, a difference will be made between public and private property and there will be several models of reconstruction, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milosevic, who is a deputy head of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the December 29 earthquake, said that local officials presented concrete problems at the task force's meeting while representatives of ministries presented concrete figures on resources and the measures taken or expected to be taken.

"This is a good start but there is still a lot of work ahead, we have great responsibility to reconstruct this region and restore life that was devastated not only by the earthquake but also by the war," he stressed, thanking all services active on the ground as well as volunteers.

Nikola Mazar, State Secretary at the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing, said the office had made 220 state-owned flats, of which 30 were in the areas of Sisak and Petrinja, available to the earthquake victims.

He noted that the rent and utilities would be paid for by the state.

Mazar said organised reconstruction would be launched and that it would have to be conducted in line with the highest safety standards.

ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - Physical Planning and Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Monday that state institutions would determine whether there had been irregularities in the post-war reconstruction of houses in the quake-hit area, many of which had sustained a lot of damage despite that reconstruction.

25% of buildings completely unusable

Horvat, deputy head of a newly-established task force in charge of removing the consequences of a devastating earthquake that hit Sisak-Moslavina, Zagreb and Karlovac counties on December 29, said that over 17,000 damaged buildings had been registered so far, 5,400 of which had been checked by structural engineers, of whom there were more than 700 on the ground, and that 25% of the buildings were completely unusable.

The main priority now is to ensure temporary accommodation not only for citizens of Sisak-Moslavina County but also of Zagreb and Karlovac counties, he said.

Croatian companies must manufacture housing containers for earthquake victims

Asked when housing containers for earthquake victims would arrive, he said that Croatian producers had been contacted and that a certain number of orders had been made.

"We have to be aware of the fact that such products are not is stock, they have to be produced by Croatian companies, and a large portion of the contingent has been ordered from neighbouring countries," Horvat said.

"In the next few days an adequate number of containers will be at the locations, as will mobile homes, and state property will be made available through the state office for housing as well. About 30 flats are being prepared at the moment, so 30 to 35 families will soon be able to find temporary accommodation," he said.

There will be, he added, "adequate preparation for organised reconstruction, through procedures not as complicated as those for Zagreb".

Humanitarian aid to be delivered in agreement with task force

Horvat called on all those who had prepared to deliver humanitarian aid to the quake-hit areas on Tuesday to deliver it in coordination with the task force, the Red Cross and other organisations on the ground and not to act on their own initiative.

By end of week first type of buildings to be determined

"By the end of the week, I also expect the first type of buildings to start off the reconstruction to be determined, and these will be standard buildings, prefabricated, wooden, concrete and masonry buildings, depending on the type of area, whether it is rural or urban," he said.

Horvat is convinced that the situation would be much better and more organised than in the first three days following the earthquake.

"All state institutions have done their job promptly and well, from the Red Cross, the HGSS (Croatian Mountain Rescue Service), the Croatian Army and police," he said.

January 4, 2021 - Croatian earthquake insurance is the exception rather than the norm, meaning that 2020 will prove a financially devastating year for many. 

After the initial emotions of the earthquake, the harsh realities of life that will follow, and how it will be changed for many. 

After seeing hundreds of articles in the Croatian media in the aftermath of the earthquake, all focus on the devastation and human interest stories, one story in 24Sata caught my attention on an entirely different topic, one which we subsequently covered in Croatian Earthquake Aftershocks: A Home Destroyed, Loan Repayments Unaffected.

My first reaction was that the couple should have had house insurance, but I decided to read the article. And so began an introduction into an issue which is going to have a huge impact on the lives of many people affected by the disaster. I also learned a lot more about Croatian insurance than I thought I ever needed to know. 

It turned out that the couple did have insurance. Indeed, they had to have insurance, a requirement from the bank which gave them a 30-year loan on their first home, an apartment in Sisak. They moved in on November 27, 2020, 32 days before disaster struck. Before they had made the first repayment to the bank, the apartment must now be demolished. But the bank repayments must continue. 

This is obviously going to be far from an isolated case, and I posted on Facebook and LinkedIn to see what more information I could learn. It has been quite an education so far, and many thanks for all the contributions received. I learned a few things, such as 1964 being a pivotal date in earthquake insurance, with policies and payments changed in the aftermath of the 1963 major quake in Skopje, (now North) Macedonia. 

I also learned that cover depends on the size of the quake for it to be designated as a quake. From one current policy in Croatia:

In terms of these Terms, an earthquake signifies a naturally induced ground motion (shaking) sudden geophysical processes in the Earth's crust which manifested itself in the place of insurance with an intensity of 5 degrees and more per Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg scale (MCS scale).

I also learned that the culture of insuring houses is not so strong in Croatia, with an estimated 30% of properties insured. While basic property insurance is mandatory for bank loans, earthquake insurance is an added extra, and not one that many take up. Indeed, there are an estimated 15% of properties with earthquake insurance. 

Which means that there are 85% of properties which are not covered. The consequences of which can be felt in seconds with a major quake.

It was reported today that earthquake insurance premiums are to rise 28% in Croatia, understandably in the wake of recent events.  The report also has some other numbers from the Chamber of Economy. 

"The devastating earthquakes which hit Croatia last year have caused over HRK 100 billion worth of damage and many people have lost their properties."

"After the March 2020 earthquake, insurance companies paid HRK 237.5 million and processed 7,269 damages claims by the end of November, the HGK said, adding that the Zagreb quake showed that an extremely low percentage of apartment buildings had earthquake insurance."

Do the maths. Of course there will be additional payouts, particularly from the most recent quakes, but according to these official numbers from the Chamber of Economy, 100 billion kuna of damage and 237.5 million kuna of payout equates to 0.2375% of compensation. 

There is a lot more to this, of course, and I am certainly no expert, but this is looking like a huge issue, one which TCN will be following. If anyone has insights or information to add, please send (with links to authoritative sites preferred) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Insurance.

Among the many responses I received to my social media plea, Ognjen Radulovic said that he would be happy to answer some questions in his capacity of Strategic Insurance Specialist at MAI Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers. Some of the answers are below, while Ognjen has agreed to get more data for other questions.

1. What is the general culture and attitude to home insurance in Croatia? 

Home insurances have been increasing over the last decade, for sure due to bank loans as collaterals but also with a different scope of required coverages. Most commonly used are Fire, Lightning, Explosion, Aircraft fall (the so-called FLEXA group of perils).

2. Earthquake insurance is an additional extra, and I understand that 85% of properties are not covered by it. Can you explain a little about the earthquake cover and its costs?

After closing FLEXA, it is possible to proceed with the closing of extras such as EQ (earthquake insurance).

Unlike FLEXA and some other named perils, EQ is a 100% reinsured peril, which means that local markets are paying premiums to reinsurers in order to obtain the cover. It also means that local markets do not participate in the remuneration of losses, they only formalize the payout once the losses have been confirmed by reinsurers.

All relations among insurers and reinsurers are strictly regulated by supervisory bodies (HANFA in Croatia).

The costs (insurance premiums) may vary among markets. With the intention to reduce the insurance premium, markets are offering coverage closing with the insured's self-retention clause based on the Sum Insured (contracted Property Value) or Loss Amount (depending on the market).

3. Several people who had earthquake cover in Zagreb in March found that they were unable to claim due to the small print. What were the main reasons for this?

Hard to answer without detailed insights. Most likely the coverage has been closed with deductible in % and stated absolute minimum of self-retention which is higher than the loss occurred.

4. How transparent is the insurance industry in your opinion, and what steps could be taken to improve the information flow and encourage more homeowners to insure their properties?

This is a subject of local insurance culture generally: for instance, Slovenia has double insurance premium per capita than Croatia, Serbia twice lower... A higher economic standard is mostly followed by a higher interest of homeowners for insurance - paradoxically, but true: the less money you have, the harder you decide to protect the property you own.

5. We are already hearing of several examples of apartment owners in the Petrinja area who were insured and had bank loans but no earthquake insurance. Some buildings have been earmarked for demolition, thereby leaving people without homes but still with the bank loans to pay. In your experience, what happens in situations like these?

Banks do not require EQ coverage, but it was not the obstacle for the owners to arrange the closure of this specific peril in addition - an example of owners' bad risk management and lack of insurance culture. They got the loan, the properties don't exist anymore, they have to return the loans as agreed.

Best case scenario: the state will provide some help, but for sure not equal to the losses they suffered.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January 4, 2021 – No better technology or camera in the world could detect people under the rubble than search dogs. In the recent earthquake that hit Petrinja, Croatian search dogs found two people alive and thus saved their lives.

The earthquake that hit Petrinja, Sisak, Glina, and the surrounding area on December 29, 2020, caused enormous material damage that is still being added up. Along with 14 teams of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS), search dogs also searched for the missing in the ruins. Unfortunately, seven people lost their lives in the quake's rubble, but, thanks to search dogs, two were found alive.

Deputy Head of the Service and head of search teams Neven Putar Neno told Jutarnji list that there are no such mechanical means or cameras that could detect a person under the rubble as quickly as dogs.

"When it comes to saving human lives in such catastrophic conditions, the dog is the most important resource because it can detect a person under the rubble the fastest. We have an awful lot of actions, several times a week throughout the year, where dogs find people, live and, unfortunately, dead," said Putar.

He also points out what all rescuers say – a successful search is not the result of any individual or individual dog's work, but the entire team. Along with HGSS and firefighters, members of KOSPP, the Zagreb club for training search dogs, were also on the field.

Dog barking already tells if a person is alive or dead

Stjepan Gal, a ranger in the Nature Park Papuk and HGSS member, arrived with his dog at the quake-hit area at 4 p.m. As he says, the scenes they saw were unreal. Gal and his dog Adi were in the village of Žažina, where the local church collapsed.

At the time of the quake, parishioners who had come to clear up the damage caused by the less devastating earthquake the day before were in the church. When it shook at 12.20, most of them managed to escape from the building, but one person did not. Beneath the ruins remained a trapped organist who was cleaning his instrument, the organ. Unfortunately, by the time Gal arrived, it was already clear that he was unfortunately dead, and the dog Adi confirmed this with his barking at 6:46 p.m.

Search dog Adi / Photo: Stjepan Gal Facebook

Namely, as Gal says, when a person is found alive, Adi barks happily, and when a person is dead, he is upset and sad and has a specific bark, akin to a  growl.

In addition to HGSS members, alpinists and speleologists from Split and firefighters were also at the location. They had to flee the church several times because the ground was shaking all the time, and there was a danger that the rest of the church would collapse on them.

From asylum to HGSS rescue team

The HGSS team from Karlovac, led by Dubravko Butala, also recently arrived in Petrinja. Kruno Stipetić from Ogulin entered the Petrinja City Hall with his dog Draco, where it was suspected that one person was buried under the rubble. Draco signaled that there was a living person inside. Already by the frequency of his barking, Stipetić knows how to recognize whether a person is alive or dead.

Draco is a Belgian Shepherd, seven and a half years old. They wanted to put him to sleep, but Stipetić believed in him, and the dog eventually found and rescued the woman trapped in the rubble.

"When I got him from the asylum, he was aggressive, and everyone said I would fail, but I believed in him. He knows it, and now he's giving me back all the effort. Today, the two of us are called to about 80 percent of Croatia's search operations because we are a perfectly coordinated team. We think and work as one person," says Stipetić.

Search dog Draco / Photo: Kruno Stipetić Facebook

Stipetić also says that search teams have a great responsibility. They are the ones who, after inspecting the ruins, establish that there is no one inside and suspend the further search.

"There is no room for error because human lives are at stake," says Stipetić.

'Saving human lives is our biggest motivation'

Dubravko Butala Bana, an HGSS member with forty years of experience, arrived in Majske Poljane, where the scenes were horrific – the village disappeared in a matter of seconds. His dog Thor first discovered two dead people under the rubble of a house.

According to Butala, unlike some other search dogs, his Toho does not bark differently when he smells a living or dead person. "But he feels my vibe, feels when I'm sad or upset," Butala says.

Dubravko and his search dog Thor / Screenshot HRT

While they were at the first house with the victims, they were informed that there were missing people in another ruin. They hurried there.

"Grandparents were under the ruins. Grandpa was sadly dead, but grandma was alive. As we dug her up, we talked to her, and we checked her pulse. We managed to get her out, and that's our biggest reward. That's why we do this job. Us HGSS members are volunteers, and the saved human life is our biggest motivation," says Butala, who tells us that a dog can smell one human molecule under all those ruins.

Crying comes later

Zoran Laslavić is a firefighter from Opatija who set off to Petrinja immediately after the earthquake, along with his search dog Rain and with a team of firefighters from the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

"The search with dogs is just one part of the job we do. The dog is always with me and, if the need arises, that is, when there is a suspicion that we have a missing person, then we go in search, and we do all the other work all the time. Although, as firefighters, we see everything, we have never seen anything like this before," says Laslavić on the situation in Petrinja.

Firefighters Zoran Laslavić (left) and Zoran Ravnić (right) with their dogs / Photo: Zoran Laslavić Facebook

Firefighters are relatively new to working with dogs, compared to HGSS. Laslavić was the initiator of introducing search dogs into firefighters' work in the search for the missing. Today, the service of teams with search dogs has been established, and there are more and more of them all over Croatia. Laslavić is an instructor and leads the training of these dogs in Šapjane.

His wife is also a firefighter and has a search dog, but she did not go to Petrinja. They got a baby a year ago, and their dog Rain adores it.

The search and rescue for missing people was a very emotional experience for all those involved, and they also comforted and helped those who survived. As they work and save lives, rescuers don't think about all that tragedy around them. Emotions come only later when they come home and relax. Then they often cry.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January the 4th, 2021 - The Petrinja earthquake has called the state of some of this neglected central Croatian town's (now former) buildings, and Minister Darko Horvat has assured that the issue will be thoroughly investigated.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Republic of Croatia now has twelve weeks to prepare a new application to the Sisak-Moslavina County Solidarity Fund, and it will know how much it will receive in about three months, explained Minister Darko Horvat.

He also pointed out that orders have been sent for projects according to which, depending on the affected households, the state will respond in the construction of replacement permanent facilities.

Commenting on how the buildings in Petrinja were built and how some obviously failed rather miserably in meeting all of the typically stringent standards because they collapsed during the quake like a weak house of cards, Minister Darko Horvat said:

"Yes, there will be investigations in to all that, but in order for this not to happen again, we need more systematic preparation - a tender for authorised designers, an institution that will control it all, operational coordinators, so that this would now all be done properly and according to the rules of the profession. The legislative framework is in force and the participants in the construction have full responsibility, and the Law on Construction clearly defines who they are, the people who design, supervise and carry out the construction,'' reported N1.

He added that they aren't yet thinking about who will conduct the investigation because "now the priority is to provide everyone with adequate temporary accommodation and restore some level of normalcy." Regarding the responsibility of the prefect Ivo Zinic, he said:

"Both Zinic and other actors in Petrinja's reconstruction will sit down at the table to discuss this. The Central State Office has all the information and therefore invoking anyone's responsibility is pointless until we're one hundred percent sure what was happening and who the actors involved were,'' stated Minister Darko Horvat.

Let us remind you, architect Ivan Krizic commented on the situation after the earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County where he said that the laws clearly prescribe the method of construction and that poor construction in Petrinja after the Homeland War can be referred to as nothing less than a crime.

"Such situations simply cannot happen, it's a crime and the services in charge of crime should react to this," said Ivan Krizic, and when commenting more concretely on the poor construction in Petrinja, he stated: "According to the laws governing construction, i's known who is responsible for these omissions. There is no other word for it than the word crime. It prescribes the role of the supervising engineer, the construction manager, the investor… I'm sure that this is a process that must enter the domain of criminal liability research.''

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

January 4, 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced that a State of Disaster has been declared in the Croatian counties affected by the Petrinja earthquake. 

Jutarnji List reports that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic opened the Government session on Monday, which began with a minute of silence in memory of the eight young people who lost their lives near Posusje in BiH a few days ago.

"Today, we have points mainly related to repairing the damage from the earthquake. I am greeting you with prefect Žinić, prefect Kožić, and acting prefect Furdek Hajdin. There is also Mr. Markt, the first man of the Red Cross, Mr. Granić, the first man of the HGSS, the Chief Fire Commander Tucaković, and the State Secretary for Housing, Mr. Mažar.

Today is exactly one week since the first earthquake and six days since the devastating 6.2 earthquake in which seven people lost their lives. This quake caused enormous damage over a large area. Today, we will inform the public about what has been done to help the injured and rehabilitate. Twenty-four people were injured, 18 were hospitalized, and six were discharged. Four firefighters were also injured, and one volunteer was killed while helping. Saturday was also a day of mourning, and I once again express my condolences to the families. According to the Seismological Service, the ground is still shaking, and many minor or moderate earthquakes have been recorded. That doesn’t mean we have to be in fear, but we still need to be vigilant. The government reacted promptly; we were immediately on the ground at 10 am in Petrinja, with the president and several ministers. We were also in Sisak. We were there again on Tuesday. Sixteen of the 18 members of the Government have already been in Sisak-Moslavina County, and two members will leave tomorrow," Plenković said.

Plenković: 'No one will be left alone in this situation.'

"Numerous statisticians and civil engineers are in the field; some were injured after the 2nd earthquake. I hope they are recovering well. Their experience is essential, and we have made a decision to compensate them for the work they have done so far as volunteers," said Plenković and thanked everyone who helped in any way after these earthquakes.

"No one will be left alone in this situation. I understand Mr. Dumbović's concerns and difficult circumstances, but he knows that we are with him and with the citizens of Petrinja, and there will be more support for that city. We have done a lot in the field of healthcare. Two hospitals were practically evacuated, and patients were taken care of. Minister Beroš said that they can be accommodated in part of the hospital buildings in Sisak, so they will be able to receive more than 50 patients, as was estimated in the first days. Thanks also to the numerous citizens who donated money to help the victims in this situation. The first response is a great signal of support and a desire to help. The government is currently facing two crises, COVID-19 and earthquakes; we decided to declare a state of disaster in Sisak-Moslavina County, parts of Zagreb and Karlovac, but also to form a Headquarters headed by Tomo Medved. Representatives of all departments will also be involved. The deputies will be Milošević and Horvat," Plenković said, concluding: "We will show that we have the strength to deal with the consequences of this crisis and open the perspective for the normalization of life and reconstruction."

Before the Government session, the Minister of Construction Darko Horvat and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić also addressed the press.

"Today, our priority is to provide everyone with adequate temporary accommodation and logistics to restore the normal situation in the earthquake-affected area," said Minister Darko Horvat before the Government session.

Horvat: 'It is pointless to invoke responsibility now.'

Asked about the responsibility of poorly built houses, Horvat said:

"We will sit at the table, but it is evident that the Central State Office for Reconstruction has data, and that is why it is now pointless to invoke responsibility until we are completely sure what happened and who the actors are."

'Three disasters hit Croatia this year.'

Minister Ćorić spoke about commodity stocks.

"This year, the Republic of Croatia was hit by three catastrophes: the earthquake in Zagreb, COVID, and the big earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County. There are 298 containers, and they have been distributed throughout the Republic of Croatia since March. Of these, 201 are in use in hospitals and health centers for testing purposes. Seventy-six were allocated after the earthquake in Zagreb, and the rest, 21 containers, were used in the Petrinja area. The procurement of 41 containers has been initiated, and they will be in Sisak-Moslavina County by the end of the week," said Minister Tomislav Ćorić before the Government session and added:

"Croatia is trying to find additional quantities of containers for the next period."

"You can expect decisions in the direction of strengthening the situation in the ground and stepping out by appointing Medved as the coordinator of these activities. Extraordinary circumstances during this year, three such, have never occurred in the last 30 years. And this is a response to the idea that the Republic of Croatia should have had 1,500 containers at its disposal a few days ago. That is not possible. Please understand. We have 1,600 tents for 25,000 people in stock. We are witnessing reports of tents or bags from other countries. We have enough of that, but the question is whether the tents are adequate for such weather conditions; people cannot function in tents at low temperatures. Nobody made a mistake there," added Ćorić.

When asked when people can hope for a roof over their heads, Ćorić said:

"The procurement of 1500 containers within 7 days is not possible, and it is unobjective to expect. Citizens are offered accommodation in several centers, and I ask them to take advantage of these accommodation opportunities. The worst possible option is to sleep in the car and freeze. We ask them for patience because the services are doing everything they can. The renovation will take some time; it may not be over in a day. It takes time to renovate 1000 buildings in the Republic of Croatia. We need an extra step forward in togetherness. We will have to think that part of the citizens will be accommodated in the capacities available in and around the county to solve the problem temporarily. This is not a permanent solution. Three catastrophes have hit us, and it seems to me that some have forgotten about the previous two catastrophes when it comes to stocks of goods," said Ćorić.

For more on the Petrinja earthquake and to see how you can donate money, food, humanitarian, sanitary, and material aid, follow our dedicated section.

January the 4th, 2021 - Not sure where to direct your Petrinja earthquake donation? Ask Provjera.com (Check.com).

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Provjera.com website has been launched on which anyone can check the bank account numbers of organisations and Petrinja earthquake donation campaigns in order to protect themselves from financial fraud and potentially fake campaigns, the Croatian Association of Security Managers reported on Monday.

With the support of that association, Provjera.com was launched and maintained by a group, as they say from that association, of independent people, including experts in information security management, data protection and security of banking systems.

The site and content are constantly being improved with the help of volunteers from the wider field of security, marketing and communications, is available on social media and is constantly being updated with available information after its verification.

The aim of launching such a site is to inform and protect people from fraud, false and unverified information and data, which circulate on a daily basis and as such can cause harmful chain reactions, and serves to help prevent financial fraud while collecting Petrinja earthquake donation funds online.

In addition to guidelines for checking the source of information and precautions when making Petrinja earthquake donation payments, Provjera.com also has a list of verified bank account numbers of organisations, as wll as list of verified donor crowdfunding campaigns.

“It's extremely important to continuously raise the awareness of each individual to recognise potential fraud and make their own decisions. The emphasis is therefore being placed on education, and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who is working on this project, which is entirely voluntary,'' said the vice president of the Croatian Association of Security Managers and one of the initiators of the platform, Alen Delic.

He also noted that no particular Petrinja earthquake donation campaign is promoted on that page, and that they simply want everything to be successful and reliable. On the other hand, it is up to each individual to decide to whom and how to direct their help, and the site can help them in that because, among other things, it offers information about campaigns that aren't on the list and ones which they can't determine the safety of, as well as the ones about which little to no information can be found.

"The solidarity and support shown by the people of Croatia after the devastating earthquake that hit the Banovina area inspired the entire region, but in the sea of ​​information circulating every day, there is frequent and unverified false information, which we tried to deal with by launching this site," explained Delic.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, 4 January, 2021 - Sisak-Moslavina County head Ivo Zinic said on Sunday that the state of disaster should definitely be declared following the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the county on December 29.

"The county head can only declare a state of emergency following natural disasters based on assessments by the towns and communities affected. I believe this earthquake was much more destructive and that the state of disaster should be declared," Zinic told the N1 broadcaster.

The December 29 earthquake claimed seven lives and caused extensive material damage in the areas of Petrinja and Sisak in Sisak-Moslavina County.

Zinic noted that the insufficient quantity of container homes and camper vans was the main problem at present.

"We have received 13,272 requests and inspected 3,972 facilities. There are around 250 camper vans in the field and the needs are much greater. We expect 1,500 mobile homes to be necessary. Their installation will take ten more days because we can install 20-50 mobile homes per day," he said.

The HAC motorway operator said on Sunday that it would not be collecting the road toll on the Zagreb-Sisak motorway until January 31.

HAC stopped collecting the road toll on December 29 to enable emergency services to reach the quake-hit communities in Sisak-Moslavina County, deciding initially not to collect it until January 4.

January 4, 2021 - Am impressive effort from Croatia's entrepreneurs for Petrinja, Glina and Sisak, as well as a transparent option for those looking to the earthquake relief efforts.

One of the challenges for people looking to send donations in the aftermath of the Petrinja earthquake has been where to send the money. As with all disasters, a number of fundraising campaigns spring up, and it is not always obvious how legitimate they are. 

Put that into the Croatian context, which is perhaps not best-known for its transparency with regard to public funds, and it is understandable why many in the diaspora and elsewhere are reluctant to send funds through official channels. 

There are other options of course, and one which I am happy to endorse was set up just three days ago and has already raised more than 1.4 million kuna (almost 200,000 euro) - set up by the Glas Poduzetnika (Voice of Entrepreneurs) Association. (11am update - this number has now passed 1.6 million kuna)

Glas Poduzetnika is an association of private entrepreneurs, whose voice is becoming louder by the day in its demand for change and a better Croatia. With more than 70,000 followers, it was one of the few positives in Croatia to emerge from the ashes of 2020. 

Glad Poduzetnika (UGP) co-founder Drazen Orescanin explained more about the fund and its aims:

Many members of UGP wanted to make a donation but they don't have faith that money donated to Croatian Government will be used to help people, because we have a long history of various corrupt events.

The funds raised will be used to buy housing containers, heaters, other equipment, and construction materials. We will raise funds until the end of February to help as many citizens as possible renovate their housing facilities. UGP will transparently publish the flow of donations and invoices that will confirm what the donated funds were invested in. Our priority is to provide the citizens of Petrinja, Glina, Sisak, and surrounding places a roof over their heads in the upcoming winter months.

Our priority is to provide the citizens of Petrinja, Glina, Sisak, and surrounding places a roof over their heads in the upcoming winter months.

UGP invites all those who want and can help the victims with a donation to pay the above account donations.

Thank you to all of you who will help Sisak-Moslavina County citizens; we know that no one is in an enviable situation due to this corona crisis!

Your UGP!

Glas Poduzetnika chairman Hrvoje Bujas posted a status update on Facebook this morning:

Good morning!

Thank you all from ♥ ️ for your payments, in the first 3 days we collected over 1.4 million kuna.

Our goal is to raise as much money as possible, and show how much the hearts of entrepreneurs, craftsmen, employees in the private sector ... members of UGP, as well as everyone in this Group. Every kuna counts. Every kuna will be purposefully and transparently invested, you know that you can trust us.

Share, like ... let our Voice be heard far away!

And if you want to donate, here is the payment information:

Entrepreneurs for Sisak-Moslavina County in Croatia

You can help too!

Dear members of the Association and all who want to help,

We have opened a fund for donations to help citizens from Sisak-Moslavina County! You can deposit funds to IBAN:

HR6523600001502851531

Payment description: Humanitarian action

Model: HR99

Bank: ZAGREBAČKA BANKA d.d.

Note for call number: If the model HR99 doesn't pass, enter the model 00 and then a number.

Or you can scan a QR code on mobile banking:

or

For payments from abroad:

VOICE OF ENTREPRENEURS ASSOCIATION

PAVLETIĆEVA 1

10000 ZAGREB

SWIFT: ZABAHR2X

IBAN: HR6523600001502851531

Payment description: HUMANITARIAN ACTION

Bank: ZAGREBAČKA BANKA D.D.

You can join the UGP group here.

For the latest updates from Petrinja, follow the TCN section.