Together for Petrinja and surroundings (Banovina) – reconstruction of homes after earthquake

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW]

Dragi ljudi dobrog srca,

Ja sam Lucija Ačkar, rođena u Zagrebu, Hrvatska,i prije par godina sam se preselila u Hamburg gdje radim doktorat u području prirodnih znanosti. Serija jakih potresa pogodila je Sisačko-moslovačku županiju i većina ljudi u zahvaćenoj regiji je izgubila domove.

Cilj ove akcije je skupiti sredstva za kupnju građevinskog materijala i organizirano, uz pomoć volontera, otići u regiju zahvaćenu potresom i izgraditi ljudima dom. Ova akcija potaknuta je solidarnošću prema ljudima koji su i prije potresa živjeli skromno, a nakon potresa su izgubili sve. Želimo da im se što prije vrati dom, da ne provedu zimu u šatorima, na snijegu, mjesece ili godine u privremenim smještajima…

Osobno uistinu vjerujem u moć naroda i da zajedno možemo napraviti puno, usudila bih se reći i čuda. Brzina i količina pomoći koja je do sada pristigla u područje zahvaćeno potresom (voda/hrana/lijekovi/šatori/itd.) je apsolutno impresivna. Za te ljude najteži period tek dolazi (hladne zime, snijeg, nedostatak doma), stoga ostanimo ujedinjeni i pomozimo im izgraditi domove kroz naredne mjesece! Ponosna Banovina ne smije biti zaboravljena nakon mjesec dana!

Zajedno za Banovinu.

Lijepi pozdrav,

Lucija Ackar

Što se točno dogodilo u Sisačko-moslovačkoj županiji?

28.12.2020 dva jaka potresa pogodila su Hrvatsku (5.2 i 5.0 po Richteru), s epicentrom blizu Petrinje (Sisačko-moslovačka županija). Već ovi potresi uvelike su oštetili objekte u regiji oko epicentra.

29.12.2020 razorni potres magnitude 6,4 po Richteru pogodio je ponovno Sisačko-moslovačku županiju, s epicentrom 3km udaljenim od Petrinje. Ovaj potres bio je najjači potres u centralnoj Europi još od 1880 godine. Nakon serije ovih potresa, u potpunosti je razoren centar grada Petrinja, značajna oštećenja grada Gline i Siska, stotine kuća i gospodarstava potpuno je uništeno u oko 1000 sela i zaseoka u okolici navedenih gradova. Razoreno je pola Sisačko-moslovačke županije. Snaga i razornost udara bila je jača od udara pojedinih atomskih bombi! Najtužnije od svega, poginuli su nam ljudi… Vlada RH proglasila je KATASTROFU!

Što nas je potaknulo na ovu akciju?

Na žalost, na primjeru iz Zagrebačkog potresa koji se dogodio 22.3.2020 gdje je preko 20 000 objekata bilo oštećeno, a do današnjeg dana se ništa nije obnovilo, vidimo da je sustav spor i loš. Ne želimo da se isto ponovi mještanima Sisačko-moslovačke županije (Banovine). Želimo da im se osigura njihov dom čim prije moguće!

Ovi ljudi su toliko skromni i toliko malo trebaju u životu, a toliko životnih problema ih je snašlo i nebrojeno puta im je egzistencija bila upitna! U novijoj povijesti prvo je Domovinski rat i agresija razorila i opustošila Banovinu. 2018. godine 12 kuća u okolici Hrvatske Kostajnice se potpuno urušilo zbog klizišta. 2020te potresi su razorili pola regije.

Kako se do sada pomoglo?

Kada je najteže, najizazovnije i kada je solidarnost najviše potrebna, uvijek se pokazuje ogromno hrvatsko srce. Tisuće ljudi se samomobiliziralo i krenulo u pogođeno područje pomoći na koji god način je potrebno. Diljem zemlje, ali i u mnogim zemljama Europe, organiziraju se nebrojeni konvoji humanitarne pomoći (voda/hrana/lijekovi/šatori/grijalice/pokretne kućice/itd.). Ljudi ustupaju svoje kuće i vikendice kao privremeni smještaj ljudima iz stradalog područja. Poklanjaju svoje osobne automobile kako bi poslužili kao pokretne kuće ljudima koji su izgubili svoje domove ispod ruševina. Nezapamćena SOLIDARNOST na djelu!

Koji je cilj ove akcije?

Vratiti ljudima u regiji pogođenoj potresom njihove TRAJNE domove!!! Potrebno je angažirati se u direktnoj pomoći konkretnim kućanstvima. Potrebno je udružiti snage i volju te obnavljati obitelj po obitelj, kuću po kući, ne čekajući tromi državni sustav da osigura uvijete obnove.

Iz tog razloga, organizirala sam ovu akciju, čija je svrha prikupljanje financijskih sredstava od kojih će se kupiti građevinski materijal potreban za izgradnju ili obnovu kuća. Svaka kuna/KM/euro/dolar/druga valuta je dobrodošla. Nama malo, kada se skupi nekome je puno i vjerujem da nekome možemo vratiti osmijeh na lice.

Kako ćemo doći do cilja?

Stupila sam u kontakt s gosp. Daliborom Kušanom, čovjekom koji je i sam živio u području zahvaćenim potresom, a sada je u privremenom smještaju u Zagrebu. On će mi biti prvi kontakt i pomoći u koordinaciji kome je potrebna obnova kuća. Naravno, ovisno o uspješnosti ove akcije, ali ideja je direktno stupiti u kontakt s obiteljima i obnoviti im dom, pa da barem nekim obiteljima osiguramo novi i trajni dom. Obnavljat ćemo dokle god ćemo imati financijska sredstva za kupnju materijala, a to ovisi o svima nama 😊. Prioritet će imati obitelji s djecom i starije osobe. Također, novac će biti korišten isključivo za kupnju građevinskog materijala, a za sav fizički rad potreban u obnovi/izgradnji doma organizirat će se volonteri.

Transparentnost (!)

Sve na što će novac biti potrošen, biti će transparentno! Uskoro ćemo dobiti detaljnije informacije koje kuće će se morati rušiti do temelja a koje će se moći obnavljati i sukladno s time ćemo vidjeti u kojem smjeru započeti. Svaka obitelj kojoj će se usmjeriti pomoć će biti imenovana, kako biste znali kuda je otišla Vaša pomoć. Nadam se da ćemo uspjeti obnoviti barem jedan dom, a ukoliko uspijemo u tome, objaviti ću i sliku radova u svrhu transparentnosti 😊.

Do kad će trajati akcija?

Ova akcija će trajati dokle god budu pristizale donacije ili dokle god postoji kuća koju treba obnoviti! 😊. Na žalost, šteta je toliko velika i u ovom trenutku teško je uopće procijeniti koliko novca je potrebno da bi se kuće svih mještana obnovile. Tako da, obnavljat ćemo do kad god ćemo imati sredstava!

[ENGLISH VERSION]

To all good people,

My name is Lucija Ačkar, born in Zagreb, Croatia and currently I am living in Hamburg and doing PhD in the field of natural sciences. A series of strong earthquakes hit Banovina (Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia) and most people in the affected region lost their homes.

The aim of this action is to raise funds for the purchase of construction materials and in an organized way, with the help of volunteers, to go to the region affected by earthquake and build home(s) for people in Banovina region (towns of Petrinja/Sisak/Glina and surrounding villages).

This action was prompted by solidarity with affected people, who lived modestly even before the earthquake and now they lost everything. We want to return them their homes as soon as possible, so that they don’t spend the winter in tents, exposed to cold and snow. If they have found temporary accommodation, we don’t want them to be there for months or even years, we want them to have their PERMANENT HOME BACK.

I truly believe in the power of people and that together we can make a lot, I would even dare to say a miracle. The first wave of help (water/food/medications/tents/etc.) was absolutely impressive but for the people from the area affected by earthquake, the hardest period is coming - cold winters, snow, not having a home. So, let’s stay united and help them to build homes in the following months!

Together for Banovina (Petrinja and surroundings).

Sincerely,

Lucija Ačkar

What exactly happened in Sisak-Moslavina County?

On the 28th of December 2020, two strong earthquakes hit Croatia (magnitudes 5.2 and 5.0 according to Richter scale) with the epicenter nearby Petrinja (Banovina, Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia). Already these earthquakes strongly damaged houses in the affected area.

On the 29th of December, devastating earthquake with the magnitude of 6.4 according to Richter scale hit again Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia with the epicenter 3km away from Petrinja. This earthquake was the strongest earthquake in the whole Central Europe since 1880. After these sequential earthquakes, the center of Petrinja was completely destroyed, towns of Glina and Sisak suffered from significant damages, hundreds of houses and farms were completely destroyed in over 1000 villages in the vicinity of these towns. Half of Sisak-Moslavina County was destroyed. The impact of the force and destructiveness of the earthquake was stronger than the impact of individual atomic bombs! The saddest of all, our people died… The Government of the Republic of Croatia declared it a CHATASTROPHY!

What is the motivation behind this action?

Unfortunately, on the example of Zagreb, which was also hit by the earthquake on the 22nd of March 2020 (magnitude 5.5 and 5.2 according to Richter) and left over 20 000 damaged buildings, but nothing has been repaired yet, we can notice that the system is slow and bad. We don’t want the same to happen to the citizens of Banovina, Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia and we want them to get their homes back as soon as possible!

People in this region (Banovina, Sisak-Moslavina County) are so humble and need so little in life, yet they have faced so many life problems and countless times their existence has been questioned! As examples, in recent history, first the Homeland war and aggression destroyed and devastated Banovina. Later, in 2018, 12 houses in the vicinity of Hrvatska Kostajnica completely collapsed due to a landslide. Now in 2020, earthquakes destroyed half of the region.

How has it been helped so far?

When it is the hardest, the most challenging and when solidarity is most needed, the huge Croatian heart is always shown. Thousands of people self-mobilized and marched into the affected area to help in whichever way was needed. Countless humanitarian help (water/food/medications/tents/mobile homes/etc.) has been organized across the whole Croatia but also from many European countries. People are offering their homes or vacation houses for the earthquake victims. They donated their personal cars to serve as mobile homes to people who have lost their homes. Enormous and unforgettable SOLIDARITY is in action!!!

What is the goal of this action?

The goal of this action is for people in Banovina (Petrinja and surroundings) who have lost their homes after earthquakes to get back their PERMANENT HOMES!!

It is necessary to engage in direct assistance to households. It is necessary to join forces and to build homes directly to families, house by house without waiting for the slow and bad state system to ensure the conditions for reconstruction.

For that reason, I organized this action with the purpose to raise funds in order to buy construction material needed for reconstruction or repair of homes in Banovina (Petrinja and surroundings). Every Kn/KM/euro/dollar/other currency is more than welcome. A small amount for us, when pulled together can be a lot for someone else and I believe that with the act of togetherness we can return a smile to someone's face.

How will we reach our goal?

I got in contact with Mr. Dalibor Kušan, he and his family were living in the area affected by earthquake and at the moment are living in temporary home in Zagreb. He is my first contact and help in coordination with families from the area affected by earthquake who need reconstruction/repair of their homes. The idea is to reconstruct homes in a direct and organized way so that we are sure that the family who received a help truly get their PERMANENT home back. In that way we will provide permanent homes at least to some families. We will be reconstructing as long as we will have funds to buy building material and that depends on all of us 😊. Priority will be given to families with children and the elderly. Furthermore, money will be used exclusively for buying a building material. All physical work will be done by volunteers.

Transparency (!)

Everything that money will be used for will be transparent! Soon we will get detailed information which homes will need complete reconstructions and which homes are “safe“ enough and can be repaired. Once we get this information, we will know in which exact direction to start. Every family which receives reconstruction/repair of their home from this foundation will be named and I will also share pictures of work that will be done. In that way, you will know where your money was directed to!

For how long will the action last?

This action will last as long as we will be receiving donations or as long as there will be home to reconstruct/repair! Sadly, the damage is huge! and at the moment it is hard to even closely estimate the amount of money needed to reconstruct all affected homes. For that reason, we will reconstruct/repair as long as we will have funds to do it.