NATO Allies support Slovenia following deadly flooding
NATO Allies are providing support to Slovenia after record rainfall starting last Friday triggered severe flooding affecting two-thirds of the country. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke by phone with Prime Minister Robert Golob on Monday (7 August 2023), expressing his condolences and NATO’s strong solidarity with Slovenia.
Mr Stoltenberg said: “I express my deepest condolences to the people of Slovenia for the loss of life and widespread devastation caused by this weekend’s floods. Upon Slovenia’s request for assistance, NATO’s disaster response coordination centre immediately notified all 31 Allies and 35 partners of your needs. I welcome that NATO Allies stepped up with immediate offers of support including helicopters, modular bridges, excavators, and engineering expertise. This is NATO solidarity in action. We will continue to work closely with you in the days and weeks ahead. The increasing frequency of extreme weather highlights the profound impact of climate change. NATO is committed to addressing climate change and its impact on our security.”
Following Slovenia’s request for assistance via NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC), Spain offered one heavy CH-47 helicopter with up to 25 personnel, including crew and supporting staff. Allies are also providing support through the EU and bilaterally. Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany and France have offered support including helicopters, excavators, prefabricated bridges and engineering teams. The United States has also deployed staff to Ljubljana to assess the situation and determine urgent humanitarian needs.
The EADRCC is the Alliance’s principal civil emergency response mechanism in the Euro-Atlantic area. The Centre functions as a clearing-house system for coordinating both requests for and offers of assistance mainly in case of natural and man-made disasters.
