The United States Ambassador to Croatia, James B. Foley, presented a plaque to the Chairman of the International Sava River Basin Commission, Branko Bačić, in Zagreb, in recognition of the successful collaboration between U.S. institutions and the Sava Commission.
The plaque presentation took place as part of the Workshop program on the topic of Flood Mapping for the Sava River, which was jointly organized by the International Sava River Basin Commission (Sava Commission) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from September 6 to 8, 2010. The aim of this workshop was to present the developed hydraulic model of the Sava River, as well as guidelines and supplementary tools to support the creation of flood hazard and risk maps, and to provide participants with the opportunity to discuss possibilities for improving and utilizing the developed hydraulic model.
The collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Sava Commission began in 2007 in the areas of flood management and navigation development. Given that USACE has extensive experience in the development of hydrological and hydraulic models and the preparation of flood hazard maps, it offered the Sava Commission its knowledge and experience in preparing product packages that contribute to the implementation of the Flood Protection Protocol under the framework agreement on the Sava River Basin.
These products include preliminary flood risk assessment, preparation of flood hazard and risk maps, flood risk management plan, and a system for forecasting, flood hazard warning, and alerting. The result of this joint work is a model of the Sava River that supports the aforementioned needs of the Sava Commission in the field of flood protection, but also serves as a tool for conducting future professional training in this area within the Sava River Basin. (R. R.)
