Fūrmanis: politicians' chainsaw posturing during storm cleanup is overblown
Physician Roberts Fūrmanis has publicly criticized politicians for excessive self-promotion while helping clear storm damage, as power supply is restored to over 60% of affected households.
Following a powerful storm that left more than a quarter of a million Latvian households without electricity on the night from Saturday to Sunday, social media has filled with photos and accounts from residents, volunteers and politicians describing the damage and efforts to help, such as clearing fallen trees from roads.
However, several commentators noted that some politicians appear to be using the crisis for self-promotion, wearing clothing with visible party logos and names while assisting. This has drawn particular attention given that elections are approaching.
Fūrmanis's criticism
Physician Roberts Fūrmanis expressed a similar view on social network X, stating that while politicians' presence during crises and emergencies is critically important, the recent posturing with chainsaws in hand, wandering under fallen trees in quasi-military uniforms and otherwise showing off, is considerably exaggerated.
Power supply restoration
According to information from Sadales tīkls (the distribution grid operator), as of 10 p.m. Sunday, power supply remained disrupted for 107,745 customers. Compared to Sunday morning at 7 a.m., when around 277,000 customers were without electricity, the company has managed to restore power to more than 60% of affected households.
A total of 206 Sadales tīkls crews are working to fix the damage, along with seven crews from Estonia's grid operator Elektrilevi. The storm caused extensive damage to both the transmission network, operated by Augstsprieguma tīkls, and the distribution network. Company representative Ilze Dimante explained that restoring the medium-voltage network first requires fixing damage to the main transmission lines, which is why some crews are working alongside Augstsprieguma tīkls colleagues. Restoration efforts continued at an intensified pace overnight into Monday.
