Floods Damage Talsi District Museum Collections in Two Buildings

The Talsi District Museum has suffered flood damage to its collections in two buildings. Ziedīte Začeste, head of the museum's Communication and Education Department, told LETA that the worst-hit was the temporary storage at the Pastende Culture House, where part of the collection was housed while the museum's main floor and basement are under renovation. A pipe burst in Pastende, severely damaging the items stored there, including some not yet formally added to the collection.

Začeste noted that the exact extent of the damage will be known in about two weeks, once the items have dried. Only then will it be clear which items can be saved and which are irreparably damaged.

The second issue occurred at the museum's repository building at 19 Kārļa Mīlenbaha Street in Talsi, where wooden items were stored in the basement. Rainwater began seeping into the building today, but staff quickly noticed and moved the items to the exhibition hall, which has now been temporarily closed along with the exhibition inside. The damage is much less severe here because the leak was detected early and the items only got slightly wet.

Earlier reports stated that on Monday, July 20, the Talsi district received over 74 mm of rainfall – just 4 mm short of the monthly norm. The heavy downpour caused the Dursupe mill pond dam to break, flooding the surrounding area and washing out several road sections, including the regional road Jūrmala–Talsi. Public buildings in Talsi and Pastende were also flooded.