WEBVTT

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Greetings, everyone, welcome
to the Environment Agency.

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We will present the water
and weather conditions,

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monitored
by our colleagues,

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as well as the consequences
of the floods that affected us.

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Brane will now present the weather
conditions. Thank you, Brane.

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Thank you. Greetings.
I actually bring quite good news.

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The weather
is slowly easing up.

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Yesterday we measured
30 to 90 l/m2 of rain in 12 hours.

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Last night, also in 12 hours,
we only measured 20 to 50 l/m2.

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Today we expect
around 15 to 30 l/m2.

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There will be some rain during
the night, mainly in the east,

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but we expect the amount
to be only around 5 to 15 l/m2.

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So, the rain
is slowly easing up.

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We lowered
the weather alert level

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from red to orange
and now just to yellow.

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However,
tomorrow afternoon

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a cold front will quickly
come in from the west.

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It will not bring a lot of rain,
but it may cause storms to form.

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These will be slightly
more powerful in Primorska,

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so there may be
gusts of northwesterly wind

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and likely a bit of hail
during the storm,

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but this front will pass over
relatively quickly.

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The atmosphere will really
calm down the night before Monday.

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Other than perhaps
some showers on Monday

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the weather next week
will be sunny and stable.

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It will gradually get warmer
from the midweek on

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with temperatures
again reaching 25 to 30 °C.

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The weather is improving.

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Mr. Polajnar will now present
the hydrological situation.

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Greetings.

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Thankfully, Mr. Brane Gregorčič
gave us some encouraging news,

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but floods are still
ongoing in Slovenia.

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Rivers across most of the country
are still spilling over,

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as indicated
by the maps behind me.

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However,
conditions are no longer worsening

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as drastically
as they did yesterday.

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Rainfall during the night
did cause the rivers

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in Central, Western and North
Slovenia to rise somewhat.

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Those that caused
the most trouble yesterday

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only rose a little,

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but they are diminishing slower
due to the rain.

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Conditions at the lower stream
of the river Sava are worsening.

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The water flow of the lower stream
of the Sava has reached 1600 m3/s.

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This flow may increase a little
during the day.

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The water flow of the rising
river Krka will also increase.

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The Krka is spilling over
in exposed areas

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and will rise further
during the day.

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We expect the most trouble at the
junction of the Sava and Krka,

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because the Krka cannot flow
into the Sava normally

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due to the Sava's
high water flow.

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Around the lower part of the Krka,
especially around Krška vas,

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we expect flooding to escalate

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during the night
and on Sunday morning.

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Regarding the other major rivers
that gave us trouble yesterday,

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the Savinja is still flooding,
but is no longer rising

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and the lower stream
is already diminishing as well.

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The river Drava is still flooding,
but its water flow has stabilised.

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They have stabilised the flow
in Austria as well,

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so it is under control.

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The river Mura is as well.
It is very full,

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its water flow
is around 1300 m3/s,

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meaning that it is just
at the top of the levees.

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For now it is not spilling over,
the levees are holding.

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Elsewhere in the country
we expect

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a gradual improvement
of the hydrological situation,

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meaning that the floodwaters
will recede very slowly

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and start flowing
into the rivers.

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Tomorrow rivers will go down even
further across much of the country

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and floodwaters will keep
receding even further,

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except in the lower streams
of the larger rivers,

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such as the Sava,
Drava and Mura.

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With storms we may expect
smaller surges in torrents,

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so, surges in torrential
rivers and watercourses,

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especially in Western
and Central Slovenia.

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But because the storms will pass
over Slovenia relatively quickly,

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we expect no major problems.

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However, due to the
waterlogged terrain,

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such things may happen
tomorrow as well. Thank you.

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Thank you, Janez.

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I am now inviting Neža Kodre,
director of the Water Agency.

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Greetings. Regarding water
management, our teams were active

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all day yesterday,
all night and today as well.

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We cooperated actively

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with the regional offices
of the Civil Protection

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in terms of
intervention in the field

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and implementing measures
to prevent further damage

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and to protect people
and property.

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In the aforementioned areas,

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where the water
is receding,

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the situation
was most critical

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in the Lower and Upper
Savinja Valley.

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In the Upper Savinja Valley

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we think there were
catastrophic events.

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The same applies
to Črna na Koroškem.

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We believe these were truly
exceptional events,

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with 500 to 1000 year
return periods.

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We do not have any information
regarding water

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in the Upper Savinja Valley
and Koroška.

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I just heard that our people
are breaking through

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to relay to us what needs
to be done about the water

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to make the inhabitants
of this area as safe as possible.

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Regarding the Savinja,

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we were a little worried,
but during the night

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Celje thankfully stayed below
any catastrophe threshold.

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The measures
implemented in the past,

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the levees and the flood retention
in Medlog, did their job.

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Unfortunately,
Laško was under water.

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It was quite dramatic
during the night.

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It was the same
in Žalec, Braslovče

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and other municipalities
without flood protection.

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I will probably
miss some areas,

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but it was very dramatic
on the Drava as well.

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Bridges were washed away
and damaged.

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The bridges were
impassable during the night.

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It was truly very chaotic,

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but thankfully our teams
operated in a coordinated manner

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to bring these areas under control
as much as possible.

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Regarding the Mura,

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today we will install
dry flood protection

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with the help
of Civil Protection

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on our
and the Hungarian side.

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The water was just under
the top of the levees.

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We will continue reinforcing
the levees with sandbags.

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The Razkrižje and Ljutomer
municipalities were more critical.

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Using these
intervention measures

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we did manage to prevent
more significant damage there.

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The water in the lower stream
of the Sava is still rising.

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During the night,
Civil Protection evacuated

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the tourists from the
Terme Čatež resort camp.

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Regarding the Krka
and the lower Sava,

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Civil Protection is helping us
reinforce parts of levees.

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We are taking care
of the water flow

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so conditions in the field
will be as safe as possible

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today and tomorrow.

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I hope that the
forecasts are accurate

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and that we will keep holding
on like this and keep cooperating

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to get through this
with as little damage as possible.

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Thank you.
I now invite to the podium

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the commander of Civil Protection,
Srečko Šestan.

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Thank you.
Greetings.

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Activities during the night were
weather and situation specific.

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During the night
we perform operations

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that pose no threat
to the rescuers.

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Several evacuations
were conducted last night.

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I am hereby reprimanding
those who did this at night,

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at midnight, even though
we kept warning them from 7 p.m.

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Luckily,
no one was harmed.

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Again, they disregarded
all of our recommendations,

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but thankfully
everything was all right.

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We have evacuated several thousand
people across the country,

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we do not even know
how many yet.

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Yesterday evening
in Rečica ob Savinji

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we provided
food and accommodation

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to a thousand people, mainly
tourists from camps in the area.

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200 more in Ljubno.

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650 foreigners were housed
in and around Trbovlje

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because of blocked highways.

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I heard that those 650 people
have already left in the morning.

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The got breakfast and went
either on holiday or home.

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This was aided by the police.
Things went very well.

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Unfortunately, however, some
evacuations are still required.

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Perhaps the term "evacuation"
is too severe in this case.

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There are some medical issues
and some pregnant women.

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We are going to get
a pregnant woman by helicopter.

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So, we are still
doing these things

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because the water
is still everywhere

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despite the good forecasts
of our colleagues.

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I was just called into
Moste in Komenda,

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but the water
is still very high.

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I have some good news.
Yesterday we said

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that the bridge in Luče
was washed away, but it wasn't.

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I know that area.
Those of you who know it as well,

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we have a prefabricated bridge
there, about 3,5 or 4 metres tall.

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It was under water.
When it receded,

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they saw that the bridge is still
there. At least one of them.

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I will try to illustrate what sort
of challenges we have ahead of us.

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Črna is completely cut off.

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We have been looking for a way
to Črna by land since yesterday.

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We haven't found one.

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Črna will therefore begin
running out of certain items,

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such as bread,
water, milk ...

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We ordered our units to check
with the municipality

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and the villages
what is most urgently needed.

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We will then deliver things by
helicopter to distribution points.

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We have a similar problem
in Ljubno and above,

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even though
it is reachable by land

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from Jezersko
and perhaps even from Koroška.

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But all of the stores there
were flooded, in Luče, Solčava ...

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We are collecting
necessary items there

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so that we can deliver them through
our partners at the Ministry,

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so people can cook
lunch for themselves.

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Of course we take care
of the people we evacuate.

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Yesterday
we had to hurry,

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so we provided them with army
MREs, ready-to-eat dry meals.

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From now on we will
organise this differently.

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Another big task ahead of us, maybe
not so much for Civil Protection,

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is examining the bridges.

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All bridges need to be examined,
once the water recedes,

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as this is the biggest threat.

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We saw yesterday
what can happen.

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Traffic over bridges will have
to be limited or prohibited.

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I am afraid
that many will be useless.

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We have already started
doing this today.

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We brought in an expert
to examine three large bridges.

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Our army engineers
went to three locations

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to check if any temporary
bridges can be set up

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or a pontoon bridge,
of which the army has two.

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We are helping electric companies.
They also have problems,

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mainly in Celje,
Maribor and Gorenjska.

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We are providing generators,
the big, 150+ kW ones.

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I hope they manage to reestablish
as much of the network as possible

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and provide people
with what they need.

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We are also
helping Telekom,

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as a number of locations in the
Upper Savinja Valley was flooded.

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We have many activities.
Now that the water will recede

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we will receive additional forces
from all over Slovenia,

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mainly firefighters,
and others.

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I know that I will receive help
from the army and the police

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and all other licensees.
Neža mentioned the water people.

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I think things in the field
are working,

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but we cannot reach everyone
the moment they wish us to.

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People need to understand this.
The area is enormous.

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The forces used
are also enormous,

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but there are thousands
of events every day. Thank you.

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Thank you, commander Srečko Šestan.
That concludes our reports.

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Our colleagues
will be available

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for any additional explanations.
Thank you.

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Are there any questions?

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The highway from Ljubljana
to Štajerska is still impassable.

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Is the detour through Krško safe
or rather how long will it be safe?

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Perhaps,
if the highway is blocked.

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Srečko, please.
-Yes. -Thank you.

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I cannot say for sure,
but I can check and tell you.

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I can call Nevenka
and she will tell me off the cuff.

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Or I can give you her number
and you call her yourself.

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I have a question
for Mr. Šestan.

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I heard today
that a mayor from Koroška

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described the situation
as apocalyptic.

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They have no plumbing,
no gas, everything is gone,

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and they are also running
out of fuel for the generators.

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I will answer immediately.
This morning,

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the first thing we prepared
was fuel for transport by air.

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I can check
if that has already been done.

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I think it has, because delivering
fuel was our top priority.

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The army
was supposed to deliver

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2000 litres of fuel
with helicopters.

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What about stores
running out of bottled water?

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You should ask someone else
about that. It is worrying.

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I know they are running out,
but not in threatened areas,

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but in other areas
in smaller stores,

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while large stores
are still full of everything.

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We will make sure
that the areas that are cut off

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also receive water, when we deliver
the necessary items to them.

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We also have
many sponsored offers,

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but the problem
is transport.

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We cannot bring this water
to Luče or Solčava

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with high-tonnage vehicles.

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We need to load it onto smaller,
more powerful trucks

00:20:25.516 --> 00:20:30.337
and deliver it via
uncategorised roads

00:20:30.458 --> 00:20:33.040
or by air into Črna,
for now.

00:20:37.681 --> 00:20:39.361
Any other questions?

00:20:42.556 --> 00:20:47.313
Thank you for coming,
have a nice day.

00:20:47.626 --> 00:20:51.960
One more thing. We will keep
monitoring the situation

00:20:52.081 --> 00:20:59.219
and, if needed, we will invite
you here tomorrow at 11 a.m.

00:20:59.433 --> 00:21:01.268
That is all.
Thank you.