Floods – a permanent feature in the Lower Savinja Valley

Abstract

Floods are among the most frequently recurring natural disasters in Slovenia and the damage they leave in their wake is second only to that caused by draught and hail. In the period 1992–2008 alone, floods in the Savinja Statistical Region caused direct damage of nearly 100 million euros or around one third of damage caused by floods across the entire country in the same period. Floods that hit the Savinja Valley in 1990 and caused more than one half a billion euros worth of damage are considered the costliest natural disaster in Slovenia. The article focuses on flood-risk areas in the Lower Savinja Valley, extending roughly between Soteska and Celje. Floods in this area are mentioned in historical sources ever since the Roman times, with the frequency of reports increasing into the contemporary period. The analysis of floods that occurred in Celje and its surroundings in 1954 marks the beginning of more comprehensive investigations into natural disasters in Slovenia.