Press Releases
USAID Helps Fight Wildfires in Croatia
EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
USAID
Zagreb, Croatia
USAID Helps Fight Wildfires in Croatia
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $50,000 for the purchase of firefighting equipment and protective gear to assist the Government of Croatia in combating ongoing wildfires. On August 7, the U.S. Embassy requested USAID's assistance to support fire responders, particularly in Croatia's Konavle and Zupa Dubrovacka municipalities, in the province of Dalmatia.
Unusually hot and dry weather and strong winds have exacerbated the 2007 wildfire season in Croatia, according to the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb. More than 800 separate blazes in July burned woodlands, natural park land, and farms, and caused a large number of civilians to suffer from smoke inhalation. The worst affected area is Dalmatia, where the fires destroyed houses in the hills surrounding the town of Dubrovnik, recognized by the U.N. as a world cultural heritage site. Unexploded landmines from the war in the early 1990s, together with mountainous and inaccessible terrain, are hampering the efforts to combat the blazes.
USAID will continue to monitor the wildfires and provide additional assistance as required.
For further information on USAID programs in Croatia, please visit:
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/countries/hr/