Preiļi region left nearly isolated after storm: no power for third day, mobile signal also down

The Preiļi region in eastern Latvia continues to struggle with the aftermath of a storm, with a large portion of the area now into its third day without electricity, according to observations by LSM's Latgale newsroom.

The situation worsened overnight when mobile communications in the region disappeared entirely. The loss of mobile signal has made it significantly harder to stay in contact with residents of rural parishes and isolated farmsteads, and it is also complicating the delivery of essential services to people who have already been without power for days.

Charging points set up near council building

To help residents cope with the outage, local authorities have set up several locations where people can charge their phones, power banks and other devices. Four such points have been established across the region, including one outside the Preiļi Municipality Council building. LSM's Latgale newsroom observed residents gathering there specifically to charge their devices, as electricity has still not been restored to their homes.

The scale of the disruption suggests the storm caused significant damage in the Preiļi region, and restoring services is taking longer than initially expected. Until power and communications are fully restored, residents remain dependent on solutions provided by the local municipality to meet their basic daily needs.