Storm damage in Estonia turned out far milder than expected

Heavy rain and gusty winds swept across most of Estonia overnight into Sunday, prompting utility companies and rescuers to warn residents to prepare for possible flooding and power outages. In the end, the damage proved minor, Estonian public broadcaster ETV's Aktuaalne Kaamera reported.

By Sunday morning, rescuers had responded to roughly 250 calls. About half came from western Estonia and the islands, while eastern Estonia saw fewer calls, mostly related to fallen trees.

Rescue Board representative Leho Lemsalu said the storm was fairly serious and generated a considerable number of incidents, but fortunately no major fires or serious accidents were recorded. Most calls involved trees and branches on roads, as well as trees falling onto power lines.

On Saturday evening, 3,400 households in Estonia were without electricity; by Sunday morning that number had dropped to under 2,000. By comparison, the same storm knocked out nearly a third of all electrical substations in Latvia. The Rescue Board still noted that the storm was strong, and that good preparation by utility services helped minimize its impact.

Lemsalu suggested the storm likely spent most of its energy in other countries before reaching Estonia in a somewhat weakened, calmer state than expected. He said the absence of large-scale power outages was a positive outcome, achieved partly through prior preparatory work aimed precisely at keeping the power on.

According to the Rescue Board, no injuries were recorded in Estonia as a result of the storm. However, two people died elsewhere in the Baltic states: one in the Anykščiai district in northeastern Lithuania, killed by a falling tree, and another in Jelgava, Latvia, who died under the rubble of a collapsed building.