Serbia Gets its First ‘Disaster Resilient’ Municipality
In summer 2008, the Serbian city of Kragujevac, in cooperation with the local Red Cross and USAID, hosted a best practices fair for disaster management and prevention. First responders, local government officials, and Red Cross activists from the 41 municipalities participating in USAID’s Contingency Planning Program traveled to exchange experiences. The event also served as a celebration to recognize Kragujevac for its achievements in disaster planning; U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter certified the city as Serbia’s first ‘Disaster Resilient municipality.’
“It is an honor to publicly compliment those whom have worked hard to enable Kragujevac to become the first municipality in Serbia to raise its preparedness for responding to crisis situations,” said Munter. Certification acknowledges the efforts and readiness of local stakeholders to improve contingency planning and will be extended to other participating municipalities once they meet the stringent preparedness criteria set by the program.
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| Ambassador Munter observes a simulated flood relief response organized by the local Red Cross team in Kragujevac, Serbia’s first “disaster resilient” municipality. |
Kragujevac has a comprehensive plan for the protection from natural and other disasters that was adopted by the city assembly and specific funds are now allocated from the municipal budget for disaster management activities. The Department for Civil Protection has co-located with the Red Cross for better coordination purposes. A network of 100 residents from smaller communities has been integrated into the disaster management system and considerably increases the municipalities’ capacity to effectively respond to a crisis.
“Natural disasters and environmental accidents which have affected Serbia over the past years have proven that municipal officials and local actors play an important role in preventing and responding to disasters. First responders often have to rely on their own expertise and capacities in the immediate aftermath of a crisis,” said Munter. When a powerful wind storm hit Kragujevac on March 1, 2008, responsible authorities had assessed damage city-wide and had processed claims from owners of damaged homes and businesses within four days.
At the fair, a local Red Cross team demonstrated the city’s preparedness for responding to a natural disaster with a simulated response to a flood caused by a crack in the Šumaričko lake dam. ‘If the dam were to get damaged, by an earthquake for instance, 2,500 residents of the Sušica settlement would be directly affected. Their houses would [be flooded] in no more than 30 seconds,” said Dragoš Radovanović, the head of the local Department for Civil Protection.
USAID’s Contingency Planning Program develops the capacity of selected municipalities across Serbia to plan for and respond to natural disasters, crises and emergencies. It supports the establishment of a sustainable and systematic approach in managing contingencies at the local level that addresses preparedness, response, recovery and prevention. By the end of 2011, 70 municipalities are expected to be included in USAID’s program.
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