Estimates of flood-caused damage by May 30

BELGRADE – The Serbian government committee for the assessment of damage from natural disasters, led by Minister of Construction Zorana Mihajlovic, has requested from the local authorities preliminary reports on the damage from the floods.

The committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, and according to a statement from the ministry, the reports from the local governments should be sorted by categories, which are: housing facilities, commercial properties - buildings and equipment, local infrastructure and agricultural properties.

Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transportation, and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic said Wednesday that preliminary estimates of damages from flooding will arrive on May 30 and the government will seek to ensure that evacuated citizens can leave reception centers as soon as possible.

Mihajlovic, who heads a government commission for the assessment of damages from floods, said that local governments will provide their first estimates by the end of the month, and public enterprises have already done that.

“The public enterprises have already delivered their estimates, and it is hundreds of millions of euros when we speak about critical infrastructure,” Mihajlovic told Belgrade based TV Pink.

The reports on the damages will also be looked into by a construction inspection, she said.

A total of 31,873 people evacuated from flooded areas need to be enabled to return to their homes as soon as possible, Mihajlovic said.

The minister said that the commission sent a request to local governments to provide their first estimates of damages yesterday, adding that the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Governments will...