RIGA, Aug. 28 (Xinghua) -- Six days after a devastating summer storm and torrential rainfall struck Latvia on Aug. 22, power outages are still being reported in some municipalities of the Baltic country, authorities said Friday.
The storm caused extensive damage to power grids, initially cutting off power to approximately 277,000 customers in Latvia, and in many areas, the blackouts were followed by disrupted communications, closed gas stations, and even closed stores.
A person was killed in the central Latvian city of Jelgava when a building under construction collapsed during the storm. Several people were injured by falling trees and branches. Two firefighters sustained injuries during rescue efforts.
As of Friday morning, approximately 2,500 customers in Latvia were still experiencing power outages.
Insurers have so far received more than 4,800 insurance claims and set aside 8.05 million euros (9.3 million U.S. dollars) for compensations, according to data compiled by the Latvian Insurers Association.
Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs has harshly criticized Latvian agencies' response in the wake of the storm, with the Crisis Management Center receiving the strongest criticism, as lack of coordination was the main reason hampering the rescue effort.
According to Kulbergs, a storm of this magnitude during the winter would be even worse, as there would be no water, no electricity, and no heating. "What could be observed from the government's perspective is that the emergency services are not coordinating with one another," said Kulbergs. ■