Many kindergartens in Talsu county still without power, childcare solutions being sought
Several kindergartens in Talsu county remain without electricity, prompting the municipality to seek childcare solutions for Monday, while flood damage from the recent storm is also still being addressed.
The Talsu county municipality and its Education Department were working on Sunday to find childcare solutions for Monday at kindergartens in Sabile, Stende, Jaunpagasts and Dursupe, where power remains out. Council chairman Ansis Bērziņš confirmed the situation.
The municipality has asked parents in these areas not to bring children to kindergarten on Monday, but said alternative arrangements would be offered to those without other childcare options. Details will be shared via the e-klase school platform or kindergarten chat groups.
Flooding in Roja and Talsi
Bērziņš said the town of Roja was hit hardest by the heavy rain and storm, as the Mazupīte stream could not handle the volume of water that fell over two days. Kosmonautu Street and nearby homes flooded after a Soviet-era culvert, though recently cleaned, proved unable to handle such a large water volume. Yards and gardens also flooded, though Bērziņš expects the water to recede or be absorbed within a few days. The situation is being monitored, with assistance available to residents if needed.
Several streets in Talsi also flooded, along with meadows and fields, as rivers and ditches overflowed and culverts could not cope with the water. No evacuations are currently required.
Power and communications
By 7 p.m. Sunday, power had been restored to roughly half of affected customers, though about 2,660 outages remained registered across the county, including in Sabile, coastal villages and part of Stende. Grid operator Sadales tīkls continues repair work. The municipality used generators to help two farms, while prioritizing power restoration in Roja and Mērsrags to prevent losses at fish freezing facilities.
Bērziņš noted that the power outage also left residents without mobile communication — no operator's base station is working in Stende, for instance, while Bite and Tele2 networks are down in Mērsrags and Vandzene. He said a solution for maintaining communications during emergencies is urgently needed.
Water supply in the county is being maintained via generators, so it is periodically shut off to allow sewage systems to keep up. Fuel stations in Sabile and Kaltene remain out of service.
As previously reported, a powerful storm hit Latvia Saturday evening, leaving more than a quarter of a million households without electricity. The heaviest rainfall was recorded in Kolka, at 124 millimeters.
