State of emergency in Serbia due to cold weather

The Serbian government declared on Sunday evening a state of emergency on the entire territory due to heavy snowfall and very low temperatures. The decision was made as multiple problems caused by cold snap could no longer be resolved by regular means including road clearing, food, medicine and electricity supply. State of emergency in Serbia due to cold weather Serbia's Emergency Situations Headquarters unanimously adopted earlier on Sunday a proposal for declaring emergency situation in Serbia. “Bearing in mind that 37 municipalities have declared state of emergency and that over 70,000 people are snowed in and cut off from the world, whereas nine people lost lives and one person is missing, the headquarters proposes that the Government of Serbia declares emergency on the whole territory”, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic said. Most municipalities will not hold classes on Monday, and Minister of Education Zarko Obradovic reiterated that all local self-governments should suspend classes from February 6 to 10. A scene from Novi Sad (Beta) Cold snap claims another life Snow and very cold weather continued to trouble Serbia on Monday, causing problems in traffic, power supply and for schools. Emergency workers said on Monday that they found the tenth victim of freezing this morning: a 65-year-old man who died in his home in the town of Cuprija. Drivers are warned that there is a coat of ice on many roads across Serbia, while main highways and roads remain open for the traffic. For more than a week, daily temperatures in Serbia have stayed well below zero degrees centigrade, while at night they often ranged from around minus ten to close to minus 30 degrees in some parts of the country. Head of the Interior Ministry Emergency Situations Sector Predrag Maric said on Monday he would order local teams to organize differently and added he expected actual steps to be taken during the day. Another order will go out to local governments to use additional machines to clear the snow in the municipalities that are under threat, he told Tanjug. He expects the effects of the orders to be seen in three to four days. The distribution of the oil the government sent to the worst hit municipalities is under way, he added. Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac said the military had been out in the field from day one helping combat the weather and that they offered during a meeting of the emergency headquarters on Sunday to assist with 14,000 troops and 50 machines. B92 Tanjug

State of emergency in Serbia due to cold weather

Serbia's Emergency Situations Headquarters unanimously adopted earlier on Sunday a proposal for declaring emergency situation in Serbia.

“Bearing in mind that 37 municipalities have declared state of emergency and that over 70,000 people are snowed in and cut off from the world, whereas nine people lost lives and one person is missing, the headquarters proposes that the Government of Serbia declares emergency on the whole territory”, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dačić said.

Most municipalities will not hold classes on Monday, and Minister of Education Žarko Obradović reiterated that all local self-governments should suspend classes from February 6 to 10.

Cold snap claims another life

Snow and very cold weather continued to trouble Serbia on Monday, causing problems in traffic, power supply and for schools.

Emergency workers said on Monday that they found the tenth victim of freezing this morning: a 65-year-old man who died in his home in the town of Ćuprija.

Drivers are warned that there is a coat of ice on many roads across Serbia, while main highways and roads remain open for the traffic.

For more than a week, daily temperatures in Serbia have stayed well below zero degrees centigrade, while at night they often ranged from around minus ten to close to minus 30 degrees in some parts of the country.

Head of the Interior Ministry Emergency Situations Sector Predrag Marić said on Monday he would order local teams to organize differently and added he expected actual steps to be taken during the day.

Another order will go out to local governments to use additional machines to clear the snow in the municipalities that are under threat, he told Tanjug.

He expects the effects of the orders to be seen in three to four days. The distribution of the oil the government sent to the worst hit municipalities is under way, he added.

Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac said the military had been out in the field from day one helping combat the weather and that they offered during a meeting of the emergency headquarters on Sunday to assist with 14,000 troops and 50 machines.