Dubrovnik councilor calls for maritime evacuation plan

Dubrovnik city councilor Viktorija Knežević has proposed concrete measures to strengthen the city's civil protection readiness, specifically focusing on maritime evacuation protocols. The proposal follows concerns raised by recent fires in Omiš, which highlighted the vulnerability of coastal areas if road access is severed by wildfires or other disasters.

Knežević criticized the current civil protection plan for its vague description of sea evacuation, which merely states movement ‘from the port of Dubrovnik to the nearest port.’ She argued that such phrasing is not an operational plan and fails to address critical logistics, such as the availability of vessels, trained operators, passenger capacities, embarkation and disembarkation points, and command structures.

The councilor urged the establishment of a formal maritime evacuation protocol in cooperation with the Port Authority, firefighters, police, and vessel owners. This system would involve pre-registered vessels and trained leaders to ensure that emergency responses are organized before a crisis occurs, rather than attempting to coordinate resources while a fire is actively blocking roads.