Storm toll: emergency services received over 3,000 reports of wind damage
Latvia's State Fire and Rescue Service received 3,028 emergency calls about storm wind damage between Saturday midday and Sunday evening. One person died in the storm and several others, including two rescuers, were injured.
Latvia's State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) received 3,028 calls to the 112 emergency line related to storm wind damage between Saturday midday and 10 p.m. Sunday, spokeswoman Viktorija Gribuste reported. In the last four hours before that count, only 138 new calls came in, suggesting the pace of incidents was slowing.
Riga recorded the highest number of reports, with nearly a thousand calls, followed by the Riga region with around 800. Latgale followed with close to 500 reports, Zemgale with about 400, Kurzeme with nearly 200, and Vidzeme with just over 160.
Fallen trees and damaged buildings
Most calls involved firefighters clearing trees and branches blocking roads, though there were also cases of trees damaging cars, homes and other structures. Gribuste noted the actual number of damaged trees is significantly higher than the number of reports, since crews often clear additional obstacles while en route to calls, and municipal utility services are also handling cleanup separately.
One death, several injured
One person died Saturday evening in Jelgava when part of a building's structure collapsed; paramedics confirmed the death after rescuers freed the person from the rubble. In Bauska municipality, a firefighter was injured while clearing storm damage, and in Aizkraukle municipality's Aiviekste parish, a person was struck by a falling tree. On Sunday, another firefighter was injured and hospitalized while responding to storm damage in Saulkrasti municipality.
At least two people were rescued — in Ludza municipality, someone was trapped in a shipping container hit by a fallen tree, and in Talsi municipality, firefighters freed a resident from a home after several trees fell on the building.
To handle the surge in calls, VUGD deployed additional resources, forming ten extra crews across several Zemgale and Latgale municipalities and bringing in 11 additional dispatchers to manage incoming reports.
The service is again urging residents to call 112 only when there is a genuine threat to life, health or traffic safety, to report power outages to grid operator Sadales tīkls, and to contact local municipalities about non-hazardous fallen trees.
