In the past three months, the number of shelters located in municipal properties in Riga has not increased, according to information presented at a meeting of the Riga City Council’s Committee on Security, Order, and Corruption Prevention.
At today’s meeting, Gints Reinsons, Head of the Civil Protection and Operational Information Department, reported that Riga currently has 230 shelters deemed suitable or partially suitable for use.
Of these, 83 shelters are marked. Reinsons explained that the remaining shelters require various improvements and upgrades.
According to archived information from LETA, in April it was reported that the shelter capacity in Riga could accommodate just over 200,000 residents.
It was also reported that last year the State Fire and Rescue Service inspected 579 sites in Riga that could potentially serve as shelters.
Out of 317 municipally owned properties, 218 were deemed suitable or partially suitable.
Today, Reinsons reported that out of the 230 suitable shelter locations, 217 are owned by the municipality. This indicates that the number of shelters in municipal ownership has not changed over this period.
In response to questions from council members, Reinsons acknowledged that if all 230 shelters were brought up to standard, they could accommodate approximately 10% of Riga’s population. At present, the marked shelters could shelter only around 5% of residents.
To improve the situation, it would be necessary to inspect the basements of privately owned residential buildings, assess their suitability, and develop an action plan to increase the number of available shelters.
Funding from the European Regional Development Fund is expected to become available from August or September, which could be used to support the creation of new shelters, Reinsons explained.
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