Aluksne region tests evacuation plan after simulated forest fire threat

Residents of the Pededze and Liepna parishes took part in an evacuation exercise in Aluksne municipality on Monday, after a simulated forest fire in Russia threatened communities near the border, Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported.

The exercise tested how quickly the municipality could set up and run an evacuation centre in Aluksne. Residents were asked to leave the threatened areas and travel by bus to the centre. Seven people travelled from Pededze, and about 20 people took part from both parishes. The municipality said it had hoped for a larger turnout.

The centre of Pededze is about six kilometres from the Russian border, while Liepna is about 12 kilometres away. For many residents, it was their first exercise of this kind.

“I like to have control of the situation, and it is always better to know what could happen and how in a crisis,” said Pededze resident Mirdza Korne.

Resident Jekaterina Grabovnicka said the exercise would give people an idea of what to do and how to help residents who could not take part, including some older people.

Aluksne municipality council chair Dzintars Adlers said residents might be unable to attend because of work or other daily responsibilities. He said exercises were held several times a year and encouraged people to learn what they would need to do in an emergency, even if they could not participate.

To make the scenario more realistic, some evacuees played people with injuries and mobility impairments.