Sava – Altered course and submerged facts: The myth about the lack of crisis communication during the great Zagreb flood of 1964 circulating for six decades

Abstract

The flood caused by the overflowing of the Sava River on the night of 25/26 October 1964 is considered by most expert sources and in various scientific fields, areas and branches to be the greatest natural disaster to hit Zagreb. A total of 17 lives lost were recorded, while 40000 people were left homeless, and a third of the city area at the time was flooded. The damage was wide-spread, both material and one that cannot be measured against economic criteria, which is why the great affliction quickly became a major disaster, the effects of which are still classified in most relevant publications as the most severe ever recorded in the history of the Croatian capital. Documentary accounts of this crisis situation clearly show a lack of archival and descriptive records about the communication activities which, despite the interpretations present in the public discourse since the event itself, were implemented intensively and effectively – before and during, as repeatedly emphasised, the most tragic Zagreb flood. This paper, especially with the analysis of primary sources, identifies a crisis communication practice that refutes the previous narrative according to which “no one cared to prevent the disaster” and also shows the effect of media discontinuity on the formation of collective consciousness, as well as the significance of crisis communication in the process of forming institutional memory. The research results, in addition to the importance of a timely, structured and continuous mass communication in crisis conditions, point to the need for formalised procedures and defined standards, as well as strengthening communication and security protocols in the context of potential and realised urban threats.