During a crisis, instructions often cannot be followed, which is why initiative and common sense are also needed, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said in an interview with TV3’s programme 900 Seconds, admitting that he is concerned about the tendency to regulate everything through detailed instructions.
Rinkēvičs said that much had been done since the 2005 storm, but the latest storm revealed problems at facilities of critical importance, including shops, petrol stations and mobile communications networks. In some cases, generators were available but ran out of fuel, while in others there were no generators at all.
Asked whether the issue should be addressed through regulation or left to businesses themselves, Rinkēvičs stressed that he has always been highly sceptical of the idea that everything in life can be solved through excessive regulation.
“There also has to be some common sense in the private sector, where you are, after all, making a profit and are interested in continuing to make a profit,” the president said. He added that if such an understanding is lacking, it would then be necessary to consider what mandatory regulations could or should be introduced.
However,
the president acknowledged that he was concerned about the desire to regulate everything through instructions.
“Unfortunately, in a crisis, instructions often cannot be followed, so there has to be some initiative and common sense. A crisis is not dealt with by some mysterious state somewhere far away. We all deal with crises and prepare for them – each of us in our own homes and, of course, at the national level,” he stressed.
Asked to comment on the fact that a number of public events were cancelled while others went ahead, including a concert in Jūrmala where a tree broke near spectators, the president said that, in his view, organisers who cancelled their events had made the right decision.
Rinkēvičs said the warning had been issued in a timely manner and was serious. He also praised the work of emergency services and the support provided by volunteers and members of the National Guard.
As previously reported, Latvia was hit by its strongest summer storm in decades on Saturday and during the following night, with wind speeds exceeding 30 metres per second in some areas.
The storm caused widespread damage to both electricity distribution and transmission networks, initially leaving around 277,000 customers across Latvia without power. By Monday morning, approximately 87,000 customers throughout the country were still experiencing power outages.
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