1. SOME 700 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEFT HOMELESS AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 5.5 ON THE RICHTER SCALE WHICH SHOOK NORTHWEST SLOVENIA ON SUNDAY 12 APRIL 1998 AT 12:55 L.T.

2. THE EPICENTRE OF THE EARTHQUAKE, ALSO FELT IN NEIGHBOURING ITALY, CROATIA AND AUSTRIA, WAS IN THE KOBARID AND BOVEC REGIONS, SOME 75 KM FROM LJUBLJANA. THE SLOVENE NATIONAL GEOPHYSICS INSTITUTE REPORTED THAT MORE THAN 150 AFTERSHOCKS HAD BEEN REGISTERED SINCE THE MAIN EVENT ON 12 APRIL, THE TWO STRONGEST MEASURING 3.3 ON THE RICHTER SCALE.

NATIONAL RESPONSE

3. THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE NATIONAL CIVIL PROTECTION, FIRE BRIGADES AND OTHER RELIEF UNITS WERE ACTIVATED IMMEDIATELY IN ALL AFFECTED AREAS (BOVEC, TRENTA, KOBARID,, TOLMIN, BOHINJ AND JESENICE). THE SLOVENE ARMY WAS ALERTED TO SUPPORT RESCUE OPERATIONS, IF REQUIRED. A LOGISTICS CENTRE WAS ESTABLISHED IN KOBARID TO COORDINATE THE DISTRIBUTION OF RELIEF ASSISTANCE TO THE AFFECTED POPULATION. RESCUE OPERATIONS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED ON 15 APRIL 1998.

4. OFFICIAL REPORTS INDICATED THAT ABOUT 300 BUILDINGS WOULD HAVE TO BE DEMOLISHED OR ARE TEMPORARILY UNFIT FOR USE. BAD WEATHER, INCLUDING HEAVY SNOW FALLS, THIS WEEK HAVE HAMPERED REPAIR EFFORTS. WATER STILL HAS TO BE BOILED BEFORE USE. MOST ROADS IN THE REGION HAVE BEEN REOPENED FOR TRAFFIC. ON TUESDAY, THE SLOVENE GOVERNMENT APPROVED A USD 409,000 ALLOCATION IN EMERGENCY AID, ASSESSING THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST TWO YEARS TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE.

TEMPORARY SHELTER REQUIRED

5. TODAY, AT THE CONCLUSION OF RESCUE OPERATIONS, FOLLOWING A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGE TO HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE, THE SLOVENE ADMINISTRATION FOR CIVIL PROTECTION AND DISASTER RELIEF INDICATED TO OCHA THAT IT WOULD WELCOME FOREIGN ASSISTANCE IN THE FORM OF HOUSING CONTAINERS AND/OR CARAVANS, AS WELL AS CASH CONTRIBUTIONS, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION TO THE POPULATION RENDERED HOMELESS BY THIS DISASTER DURING THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD.

6. OCHA HAS MOBILIZED ITS EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM. THE DISASTER RESPONSE BRANCH, REGIONAL DESK FOR EUROPE AND NIS, HAS REQUESTED MCDU TO IMMEDIATELY ALERT THOSE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE REPORTED THE AVAILABILITY OF THIS KIND OF ITEMS IN THE MCDA REGISTER. EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION IS ONGOING WITH NATO/CEPD IN ORDER TO ENSURE SYNERGY OF EFFORTS WITHIN THE EURO-ATLANTIC PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL AREA.

7. OCHA IS PREPARED TO SERVE AS A CHANNEL FOR CASH CONTRIBUTIONS, TO BE USED DURING THE IMMEDIATE RELIEF PHASE, IN COORDINATION/CONSULTATION WITH RELEVANT ORGANIZATIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM. OCHA PROVIDES DONORS WITH WRITTEN CONFIRMATION AND PERTINENT DETAILS CONCERNING THE UTILIZATION OF THE FUNDS CONTRIBUTED. DONORS WISHING TO CHANNEL THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH OCHA SHOULD TRANSFER FUNDS TO OCHA ACCOUNT NO. CO.590.160.1 AT THE SWISS BANK CORPORATION, CASE POSTALE 2770, CH-1211, GENEVA 2, SWITZERLAND, WITH REFERENCE: SLOVENIA - EARTHQUAKE.

8. FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES, DONORS ARE REQUESTED TO INFORM OCHA GENEVA, AS INDICATED BELOW, OF RELIEF MISSIONS, PLEDGES OR CONTRIBUTIONS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING VALUES BY ITEM.

TELEPHONE NUMBER: + 41-22-917-1234
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY: +41-22-917-2010
DESK OFFICER: MR. S. PIAZZI, DIRECT TEL. +41-22-917-35 18
TELEX: 41 42 42 OCHA CH
FAX: +41-22-917-0023
E-MAIL: INFO@DHA.UNICC.ORG