There is still no accurate data as to how many people would have access to shelters in Riga in the event of a catastrophe or military threat, said Riga municipality Civil Protection and Operational Information Office head Gints Reinsons in an interview to Latvijas Radio.
According to him, theoretically estimates show that there is room for slightly more than 40 000 people in shelters in Riga. However, this data is incomplete, because they were gained based only on the size of shelters. In practice it is necessary to inspect specific places to understand the amount of usable space and exclude boiler rooms, power rooms and other places unfit to shelter people for short periods of time.
According to Reinsons, in the capital, shelters in 134 municipal properties and 104 objects of state institutions are appropriate and partially appropriate. The municipality focuses on the arrangement of the shelters located at its various facilities.
Because of incomplete data available to the municipality, Reinsons could not give a clear answer as to how many shelters Riga needs for us to be able to confidently say there will be enough safe shelters for everyone in a crisis situation.
Nevertheless, he said it is necessary to ensure shelters can fit at least 100% of residents, because the number of people could change in a state of emergency.
“In the event of some threat, we will definitely see people from other cities coming to us. If a flood originates in Riga, other territories may flood over as well. This is why we need to consider Finland’s experience, considering the capacity of shelters in Helsinki is at least 113%,” said Reinsons.
Starting this week, Riga will start marking shelters in the city that are capable of keeping residents safe in the event of catastrophe or military threat, as LETA was told by Riga City Council’s External Communication Office.
Shelter-marking will start at 10:00 am in Dreiliņi.
In cooperation with the state authorities in Riga, work continues on the inspection of possible shelters. Currently, the municipality is ready to begin marking shelters in urban environments so that everyone in their immediate vicinity can identify where they have access to a place for refuge in the event of disasters and military threats.
Signs will be placed near buildings the cellars and basements of which were deemed appropriate to be fully or partially used as shelters by the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD).
These places will not be publicly accessible all the time, unless their use is required by the facilities that have them. For example, the basement of an educational institution will be accessible on a daily basis only to employees and schoolchildren of the educational institution, and not to visitors from the outside.
Shelters or safe havens in the event of threats are designed to minimize the impact of an explosion shock wave, rubble, thermal radiation or radioactive contamination.
They can be created and installed in basements or underground floors of various structures, for example, in basements of residential houses, underground parking lots and other places.
Shelters should be located close to people’s place of residence in order to ensure that people reach the shelter as soon as possible from the receipt of news of the threat.
As reported, on the 27th of March, the Riga City Council unanimously adopted the new civil protection plan of the capital city, which develops algorithms and provides specific advice on how to act to residents in various crisis situations, including in the event of a military threat.