On December 28, the Sisak-Moslavina county in central Croatia was rocked by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake. The following day, another earthquake measured at 6.4 magnitude, struck the town of Petrinja and was strong enough to be felt throughout Croatia and neighboring countries, according to local sources.

Reports indicate there were seven casualties, 26 people injured, and more than 60,000 people affected.
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) began a needs assessment on January 2 in nine villages in the Glina county where ADRA already serves. 
“Many people are in need of roof repairs, shelter, food, non-food items and clean water,” says Slavica Marceta, country director for ADRA Croatia, whose team has been on the ground meeting with several households.

Marceta added that there has been low to no mobile phone signal, posing a challenge when communicating with volunteers in the field. She also shared that security is a high priority as there have been reports of theft. “We are trying to share the location of our storage carefully, but on a need-to-know basis to protect our supplies,” Marceta says. 

ADRA volunteers have been dispatched to distribute 200 hot meals to much needed areas, thanks to a local caterer and authorities the team partnered with. 

“We are preparing to expand a call center to continue keeping up with developments and urgent needs of the affected population who are under our care,” says Marceta. “Our highest priority is to ensure that individuals and families can receive help to apply for government assistance.”

 Follow ADRA in Croatia for more updates at https://www.facebook.com/ADRAHrvatska/.