Preparedness and Planning Accomplishments

• ·          120 municipalities in Serbia are included in program activities
• ·          62 municipalities have been certified as having achieved Enhanced Disaster Resilient Status. Certified municipalities have: 1) created standing disaster management teams; 2) performed comprehensive risk assessments; and, 3) adopted flood prevention and response plans
• ·          The program has provided disaster management training to more than 1,380 first responders from 120 municipalities
• ·          Documented municipal results following emergencies – better, faster recovery, more communication – i.e.: recovery time after record-high floods in the Municipality of Ub cut down by one third; PPES-certified municipalities assisted in 25,000 individual damage assessments after November 2010 Kraljevo earthquake.
• ·          Total of 28 emergency situation simulations conducted with PPES support over the past five years; 39 municipalities improved their planning and responding skills at the simulations.
• ·          Law on Emergency Situation adopted in December 2009; the first new framework for emergency response in 20 years; the legislation has paved the way for improved training and coordination and significant local empowerment. Under the provision of the law the Sector for Emergency Management and its National Training Center took over competencies once scattered throughout several ministries.
• ·          Helped 30 municipalities and their disaster management teams prepare project applications and learn skills needed to understand the EU project funding and post-award management
• ·          Strengthened the institutional capacities of the National Training Center (NTC) within the Sector for Emergency Management, thereby enabling the NTC to continue to provide training to municipalities on topics covered by PPES after the project ends.
• ·          Formed the Certified Municipalities Group (CMG) to improve coordination and communication between local and national government in the prevention, preparation and management of disasters. The CMG is today a registered association and a respected leader for local government dialogue on Disaster Management issues with the national government.
• ·          Supported partnerships between Ministry of Interior’s Sector for Emergency management and: 1) U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and, 2) the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
• ·          The UNISDR invited all 62 certified municipalities to join their Making Cities Resilient campaign. To date, 18 have been accepted, giving Serbia one of the highest participation rates in Europe.
• ·          The PPES supported City of Nis Safety Strategy is the first such plan in Serbia. As a result,  the City of Nis was awarded the special UNISDR status as a “Role Model” city
• ·          Two Youth Firefighting Camps were supported where more than 200 young participants were trained in fire prevention skills and introduced to the culture of volunteering within their communities.
• Supported a cross border cooperation project between Golubac and Veliko Gradiste and their Romanian counterpart and neighbor Moldova Nuova to improve disaster preparedness on the Danube