Emergency Preparedness in Croatia
Millions of visitors spend the summer in Croatia, the season of wildfires and heat. The country also has a real earthquake risk, as Zagreb and Petrinja experienced in 2020. This page explains in English how warnings work and who to call.
Emergency numbers
- 112 All emergencies
- 192 Police, 193 Fire brigade, 194 Ambulance
- 195 Search and rescue at sea
How you will be warned
SRUUK: alerts on your mobile phone
- SRUUK, the Early Warning and Crisis Management System, sends alerts to every phone in the affected area through all three Croatian mobile networks. Foreign phones on roaming receive them too. You do not register.
- The message describes the threat and the urgent measures to take.
Sirens
- There are four signals: immediate danger, impending danger, fire alert, and end of danger. A public message on radio and television follows each signal with instructions.
- Sirens are checked at noon on the first Saturday of every month, with the end-of-danger signal. No action needed.
What to have at home
The reference is the European Union's recommendation of at least 72 hours: water, food that keeps, medicines, a battery radio, flashlight, power bank, cash and copies of documents. See the 72-hour kit on a budget and the kit calculator.
Main risks to prepare for
- Wildfires and heatwaves
- Earthquakes
- Floods and storms, including the bura wind
Words you will see and hear
- Civilna zaštita: civil protection
- Uzbunjivanje: alerting
- Prestanak opasnosti: end of danger
- Požar: fire
- Potres: earthquake
- Evakuacija: evacuation
Official information
See emergency preparedness in other European countries.
Sources
Independent educational summary, not an official publication. Always follow instructions from Croatian authorities. Last reviewed: November 2026.