After Snowfall: EUFOR Supports Bosnia-Herzegovina

Szöveg: Capt. Tamás Brunner | 2012. február 13. 10:14

The heavy snowfall in early February led to a serious crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina (as well): the record amount of snow almost completely paralyzed the country. Setting an example to the local authorities, the EUFOR troops started providing assistance to the civil institutions and citizens, earning recognition from the local population and the media.

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The first and second weeks of February brought extreme weather conditions to Bosnia-Herzegovina as well. The steady temperature below minus 10 C was coupled with a very heavy snowfall. In the first days of the month, almost one meter of snow fell in a short time in the Sarajevo valley and other areas of the country. According to the local people, this has been the largest amount of snow in the area since time immemorial…

In consequence of the extreme weather, on February 3 in the night hours, power was cut off in Sarajevo canton, and it took until next day afternoon to restore it. The large amount of snow that fell in a short time completely paralyzed traffic in several places including the cities, causing avalanches in the mountainous areas which blocked roads and so cut off a number of people and villages from civilization.

Due to the arising situation, a state of emergency was declared in the country on February 4. In the morning of February 4, a crisis response team was set up under Brig.-Gen. Zoltán Gulyás, EUFOR Chief of Staff at EUFOR HQ. The team was tasked with restoring operability of Camp Butmir as soon as possible, and providing quick assistance for the local civil authorities.

The troops of the Hungarian and Austrian companies of the EUFOR Multinational Battalion (MNBN) cleared snow in the area of the Sarajevo clinic, while the troops of all three MNBN companies were deployed to help clear part of the tramway tracks in the city, which is the backbone of public transport in Sarajevo.

The Ministry of Security of Bosnia-Herzegovina submitted several rescue requests to EUFOR that were all met with immediate approval. As the weather permitted, the Austrian EUFOR helicopters – with experienced crews trained in mountain rescue aboard – combed the mountain road section between Jablanica and Mostar. In the meantime, they rescued a four-member family in the area of Kalinovik, who had spent the night snowbound.

The EUFOR helicopters conducted a flight for vital medicine from Mostar to Sarajevo and flew patients for urgent treatment to the hospital.

Apart from the local authorities, the EUFOR was the quickest to respond to the suddenly developed crisis, which earned it extraordinary recognition from the population, while the media was reporting the events around the clock. According to some articles that appeared in local papers, the soldiers of EUFOR set and example to the armed forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the local authorities and the citizens of Sarajevo.

According to forecasts, the extreme weather is still not over in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as the unusual cold is here to stay and meteorologists predict further heavy snowfall for the days to come. However, EUFOR remains on standby to offer assistance in this extraordinary situation, Brig.-Gen. Zoltán Gulyás told us.