24.03.2021.
Military help clear snow in Crna Trava
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, visited members of the Serbian Armed Forces in Crna Trava who have been helping clear snow from the local roads in this municipality since the morning.
- We have come to Crna Trava to show that the military is and will always be with its people, whenever needed. The suburban area of Mlačište, which is 15 km far from here, is snowbound and its residents are completely cut off from the town centre. We are trying to get to the locals, including three little babies, who live there as quickly as possible, so that they can be provided with everything they need for normal life as soon as possible – Minister Stefanović pointed out. According to Minister Stefanović, the mayor and residents of Crna Trava have been trying hard to clear the roads from snow in the entire municipality in the past few days, but last night, faced with deep snowdrifts, they were forced to ask the military for help.
- President Aleksandar Vučić approved the deployment of soldiers, and today the Fourth Brigade’s Engineer Unit is helping clear the snow - Minister Stefanović pointed out.
He said that members of the armed forces were always there when the citizens needed help and in the most difficult situations, emphasizing that it was important to help and show the Municipality of Crna Trava that it had not been abandoned. - Members of the armed forces will be in the field for as long as necessary and the Fourth Brigade units will be available to the mayor to help whenever snow blocks normal road communications. We also hope it will stop snowing in the next few days, which will, of course, facilitate the functioning of the municipality itself - Minister Stefanović pointed out.
The Mayor of Crna Trava Slavoljub Blagojević informed the minister about the current situation in that municipality and the problems the residents were facing due to snow. According to him, it has been snowing in Crna Trava for nine days now, and an emergency situation was declared this morning. Blagojević thanked Minister Stefanović and the Serbian Armed Forces for a swift and efficient response, saying that they were in desperate need of help.
- As of today, there is an emergency situation in Crna Trava. About a thousand residents are completely cut off from the centre of Crna Trava. It is still snowing, but we hope it will stop soon – Blagojević said, adding that the residents of Crna Trava were accustomed to cold and snowy winters, but that this winter was one of the most severe winters so far.
- There are elderly and scared people in the snow-covered villages and we must respond quickly in order to reach every household - said the Mayor of Crna Trava.
This morning, members of the Fourth Army Brigade started clearing local roads with a snow-plough in the Municipality of Crna Trava, whose residents are unable to reach the central parts of the municipality to get food and medicines due to the snow that has been falling continuously for several days.Besides the Minister of Defence, members of the armed forces were also visited by the Commander of the Fourth Army Brigade Colonel Novica Petrović.
