Disasters in Montenegro

Montenegro's protection-and-rescue system, called zaštita i spašavanje, covers risks that can seriously harm people, the environment or essential infrastructure. Relevant hazards include earthquakes, floods in the Danube and Adriatic drainage basins, wildland fires, heavy rain, storms, heat, drought, snow, avalanches and lightning. Landslides, rockfalls, coastal and river erosion, transport and industrial accidents, radiological or nuclear incidents, and failures of critical infrastructure also require planning. Montenegro's mountainous terrain, karst and Mediterranean climate create combined geological and weather-related risks. The coastal earthquake of 1979, measured at magnitude Ms 7.0, remains a major reference for earthquake risk. The Ministry of the Interior (MUP), through the Direktorat za zaštitu i spašavanje, works with municipalities and their Služba zaštite i spašavanja. The Operational Communication Centre 112 (OKC 112) operates through regional centres in Bijelo Polje, Podgorica and Bar. Depending on the event, the response can include police, emergency medical services, the army, the Uprava pomorske sigurnosti i upravljanja lukama, the Mountain Rescue Service (GSS), divers and voluntary or specialized units. The Red Cross, non-governmental organizations and volunteers can provide additional assistance. ZHMS monitors weather, water levels and earthquakes and issues official forecasts and warnings. The OKC112/112-MNE application brings together information from ZHMS, MUP, AMSCG and CEDIS, but its information is only informative. Official warnings and instructions from the responsible authorities take precedence. A nationwide cell-broadcast or location-based SMS warning service was announced and planned in 2025, but nationwide operation is not confirmed. The number 112 is available throughout Montenegro, free of charge, 24 hours a day and every day of the year. People can call or send an SMS, and an internet connection is not required for the emergency call function. OKC 112 can identify the situation, locate the report and activate rescue, firefighting, medical and police services, as well as helicopters, drones, GSS or maritime and mountain resources when the situation requires them. Operators can support several foreign languages. The number 123 has historically been used for municipal fire and rescue services, but its current availability should be checked with the relevant municipality. False or abusive emergency reports are prohibited and may be sanctioned. Montenegro's Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025–2030 organizes action around forecasting, preparedness, warning, response and safety. National and municipal protection-and-rescue plans set out local arrangements. Schools use hazard assessments, earthquake plans and evacuation exercises, while resources, access routes and assembly points differ between municipalities. Planning should also account for people who need assistance or accessible evacuation routes. Flood-risk management plans for the Danube and Adriatic basins, adopted in 2025, combine land-use planning, natural and engineered protection, warnings, public awareness and protection-and-rescue measures. Evacuation forms part of national and municipal plans and exercises. Montenegro does not have a reliably documented, uniform public list of shelters or assembly points for the whole country, so people should follow the instructions of the local authorities during an event. Do not rely on an old meeting point when an official instruction gives a different location. Recovery follows the Law on Recovery Following a Disaster. Damage and loss assessments use municipal commissions and the responsible state commission. In 2026, the Cabinet adopted a list of disasters, a uniform method for assessing damage, losses and needs, and criteria for critical infrastructure. Assistance depends on the applicable procedure, an application, supporting documents and an assessment; it is not automatically granted after every event. Allocations from budget reserves depend on the event and the relevant decision. Emergency response time depends on the situation, available resources and access to the affected location. Data used by the warning application may incur mobile-network or internet charges, and rescue costs do not follow one single nationwide rule for every situation.