Crisis management centre urges more self-reliance after Latvia's storm
After a destructive storm, Latvia's Crisis Management Centre is calling on residents to prepare better for future outages while the government drafts proposals on municipal action and inter-agency data sharing.
Following Monday's government crisis management meeting, Crisis Management Centre (KVC) head Arvis Zīle said municipalities bear primary responsibility for identifying and helping residents who remain without electricity and communications after the weekend storm. He explained that local governments know their residents best and can judge who needs assistance. Around 75,000 households across Latvia were still without power on Monday, according to Sandis Jansons, chairman of the board of distribution system operator Sadales tīkls.
Call for greater preparedness
Zīle repeatedly referenced the so-called "72-hour bag" of emergency supplies, but warned that in more severe scenarios, such as a larger-scale disaster, power might not be restored within that timeframe. He suggested households, particularly ahead of winter, consider acquiring a generator capable of running a heating system, water supply and basic electrical needs. Such generators cost from several hundred to several thousand euros, a notable barrier given that roughly two-thirds of Latvia's population lives in apartment buildings.
Planned improvements
The KVC will draft proposals for establishing "resilience points" in regions, where residents could access up-to-date information and communication tools during a crisis. The centre will also work on clearer rules for what activities must stop once an orange or red weather warning is issued, after observing that some people ignored warnings during the storm, including continuing to attend public events. Mārtiņš Baltmanis, head of the State Fire and Rescue Service, noted that municipalities already have the legal authority to restrict gatherings and movement in a given area for up to two weeks.
Zīle also pointed to difficulties in sharing data between institutions regarding the availability of electricity, fuel and communications in different regions, and said proposals would be prepared to improve this coordination.
As previously reported, the night of August 22 brought the strongest summer storm in decades to Latvia, with wind gusts exceeding 30 metres per second, initially cutting power to about 277,000 customers and disrupting communications, fuel stations and shops in many areas.
