Emergency situation declared in Rezekne municipality
When assessing the situation and concluding that it will take a long time to eliminate the effects of electrical supply problems, the municipality of Rezekne has declared an exceptional situation in its territory. Such a decision was taken on 6 January, based on the decision of the Civil Protection Law and the Rēzekne District and Viļānu Municipality Commission of the United Civil Protection Commission.
“As of 25 December, the municipality and its departments are working in emergency mode and do all possible problems of energy supply. The promulgation of an emergency situation is rather a word game that could be treated as the burning of a red lamp so that everyone would better see that there was soap and the responsible authorities would mobilise all forces to eliminate the consequences of the disaster,” explains the Chairman OF the Rēzekne District Council, Monvīds Švarcs.
He also acknowledges that, unfortunately, there has been no mobilisation of such forces until more than ten nights have passed since the start of the power supply problems. The cause of the disaster – the trees that have fallen on the electric lines have still not been harvested. Until the morning of 6 January, Latvenergo had attracted only 40 people who were working in the territory of Rezekne in the area directly to the cleaning of the trash and the harvesting of trees falling on the electric lines. “In view of the fact that the total length of high-voltage and low-voltage lines in the area is approximately 3000 km, of which 40% is not currently in operation, that number of people is far too little,” says M. Schwartz. Organised business attraction should take place ten days ago. There has also been no legally valid authorisation and explanation from the Ministry of Economics regarding the possibilities of felling and harvesting in private forest areas outside the protection zones which interfere with the renovation works of the power supply.
M. Schwartz explains that the municipality has done everything possible to improve the situation. In the case of public-interest objects, generators are employed if necessary, the parish administration is clean not only by local government roads, but also roads to single-seated and even meadows for the arrival of Latvenergo employees to electrical objects. As the state of the road fund has already been spent in the existing situation, the council adopted a decision to grant additional financing from the basic budget of the local government.
Social service employees are also employed in emergency mode and care must be taken to ensure that one of the retired pensioners is cleaned the driveway and the stigma, the wood, water and food as well as candles and lamps. The local government engages people to remove fallen trees from the roads. The machinery and workforce at the disposal of the parish administrations for the provision of aid for the treatment of electric lines from the fallen trees shall also be offered.
There is also a regular exchange of information between local government and all responsible services - A/S “distribution network”, State police, emergency medical services, health inspection, National Guard, State Forest Service, Latvian State Road, State Fire-fighting and Rescue Service etc.
Coordination of the work of a local government responsible person in an emergency situation:
The responsible person regarding the exchange of information between the local government, a/s “distribution network” and economic operators shall be the executive director of the local government, Janis Troška, t. 29452119. Citizens can also call him and report on the situation in parish and the work of institutions;
Co-operation of parish administrations to prevent the consequences of natural disasters is co-ordinated by the vice-president of the council, Elhusband Pizane, t. 64623200;
The head OF the educational administration IS responsible for educational institutions Vilis Deksnis, t. 64607204;
The provision of social assistance and access to social services is coordinated by the social service manager Yevgenia Georinska, t. 64607194.