The August 2023 floods wreaked havoc on buildings and infrastructure across Slovenia, but a year after the cataclysmic event it appears fewer homes than initially feared will have to be completely demolished.

The initial estimate was that 343 homes damaged by floods and landslides would have to be torn down. The final number confirmed by the government is however lower, at 258.

The figure comes after the government on 3 October that 128 more buildings in the municipalities of Braslovče, Šmartno ob Paki, Celje, Šoštanj, Nazarje, Mozirje, Prevalje, Kamnik, Slovenj Gradec, Medvode, Luče and Gorenja Vas-Poljane are too dangerous to be left standing.

A total of 200 buildings have already been appraised, while the rest should be by the end of the month, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arčon said.

He stressed that it was very difficult to assess the value of the buildings because some of them were completely demolished in the floods, so experts needed to determine what their value had been before the disaster.

Appraisers also had to make "very responsible" decisions on which buildings should be removed, he said.

Arčon said the majority of property owners were opting for financial compensation and only three have so far expressed the wish that the state build a new home for them.

The owners can also find substitute land themselves, which the state can buy for them if its value is equal to their previous home. It is also possible to cover the difference or opt for a cheaper real estate and receive the difference in cash.