Visiting the graves of loved ones is dangerous now! The Riga City Council warns residents 0 289

The services and enterprises of the Riga municipality continue to eliminate the consequences of the storm "Priska" from August 23. Fallen and dangerous trees are still being cut and removed daily, and the territories of educational institutions, streets, parks, cemeteries, and residential courtyards are being cleared.

Vilemnsons emphasizes that the volume of work remains significant — during the storm, thousands of trees were toppled or damaged in Riga, so the complete cleanup of the city will take several more weeks. Although many areas are being restored, the main priority remains the elimination of danger. After that, more resources will be directed towards the removal of wood and branches, as well as the complete cleanup of the areas.

The Department of Housing and Environment of the Riga municipality continues to eliminate the consequences of the storm on the territories of educational institutions. Currently, over 100 requests from schools and kindergartens have been processed and handed over to contractors, but new reports continue to arrive. In many cases, several trees need to be removed from one address, including trees that have fallen on buildings or wires, as well as trees with uprooted root systems. In the most complex cases, the removal of one tree that has fallen on a building can take from four to five hours, informs a representative of the municipality.

Contractors have been working at more than 50 addresses where danger has been eliminated and the area has been cleared. The removal of wood and branches in these places will be carried out later. The removal of dangerous trees is provided by an outsourcing company. Over the weekend, four teams of ten workers were involved in the work, while currently three teams of eight people are working. Given the large volume of damage and the complexity of the situation, it is currently impossible to predict the exact time when work in all educational institutions will be completed, notes Vilemnsons.

In addition to the requests submitted by schools and kindergartens, the department received information from the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) about approximately 650 addresses where VUGD performed cutting, securing the area, or other urgent work during the storm.

Dozens of educational institutions were affected during the storm, with the main damage caused by fallen trees. The work of schools and kindergartens has not been disrupted, and the educational process is not under threat. Separate parts of the territories are fenced off, and the municipality urges parents to remind students that they should not enter the fenced areas.

In the territories managed by "Rīgas meži", the elimination of the consequences of the storm continues. In gardens, parks, and Mežaparks, 353 trees were uprooted or broken during the storm, and more than 100 trees have been found to have significant damage. The most trees were damaged in Mežaparks, the parks of Tekstilnieku and Plavnieku, on Lucavsala, and at the Great Cemetery. Four giant trees were also lost during the storm.

In most parks, the most dangerous situations have been eliminated, fallen trees and branches have been cut and stacked for removal. In some areas, work is still ongoing, so residents are urged to observe the fences and not touch the stacked piles of wood and branches. The priority at this time is the removal of wood and branches, after which stumps will also be gradually removed and damaged areas restored.

According to preliminary estimates, up to 15,000 cubic meters of wood were damaged in the forests of Riga and its surroundings during the storm. The forest areas around Piekūras, Ogre, Tīreļi, and Daugmale were most affected. The examination of the forests continues, including with the help of drones, clarifying the extent of the destruction and clearing forest roads of fallen trees.

The consequences of the storm also affected the Riga Zoo, where 14 trees were broken or damaged. All identified threats have already been eliminated, the zoo is operating as usual, and all animals were safe during and after the storm.

In the territories managed by the Department of External Space and Mobility, tree cutting and removal have been carried out at more than 40 addresses.

Street greenery has also suffered greatly from the storm, with hundreds of trees uprooted or damaged, including new plantings. Leaning trees will be attempted to be straightened, but some of them have died, and new large saplings will be planted in their place where possible.

After the urgent work in schools and kindergartens is completed, the Department of Housing and Environment will intensively focus on removing storm-damaged trees in street plantings. In many places, VUGD or other emergency services have only eliminated the immediate threat and restored traffic, while the complete removal of trees, wood removal, and area cleanup will continue by municipal services.

More than 500 trees have been uprooted in cemeteries. Currently, the clearing of cemetery roads has been carried out, and work continues to remove the remaining trees. Funeral ceremonies can be held, but residents are urged to avoid being in cemetery areas without special need, as many trees are still dangerous.

In the areas managed by "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks", most of the consequences of the storm have been eliminated, including almost all issues related to roof damage or flooding of apartments. The enterprise continues to receive requests about broken trees, and the number of requests has reached over 600. Currently, about half of the trees that were damaged during the storm have been removed.

To eliminate all damages as soon as possible, "Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks" is organizing work in an intensified mode, attracting additional resources. Currently, 20 work teams are continuing their work.

If a tree on private property has completely broken or uprooted, or clearly poses a danger, photo documentation must be carried out from at least three viewpoints before its cutting and removal.

After that, the Department of Urban Development of the Riga municipality must be informed about the incident, attaching the photographs to the application.

This can be done by sending an application via email to "[email protected]", or by sending the application to Dzirnavu iela 140, Rīga, LV-1050.

When providing information, please indicate the address or cadastral designation, the number of broken/dangerous trees, the species if known, as well as the diameter of the trunk or circumference at a height of 1.3 meters from the ground, if it can be measured, cartographic material indicating the location where the tree grew, and three photo documents clearly showing signs of danger. No permission is needed for the felling of dangerous trees. The phone for inquiries is 1201.

If a tree from municipal land has fallen onto private property, the municipality will organize the removal of the tree. Such cases should be reported by phone at 1201.

The drop-off point at Uzvaras bulvārī 16A will operate until September 20, and in Mežaparks at the parking lot at Siguldas prospekta 12 until September 14.

The operating hours of the drop-off points remain unchanged, namely: at Uzvaras bulvārī 16A it is open on weekdays from 6 AM to 8 PM and on weekends from 8 AM to 8 PM.

The drop-off point at the Mežaparks parking lot at Siguldas prospekta 12 is open on weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM.

The municipality reminds that large wood and large logs are only accepted at Uzvaras bulvārī 16A, where a special area has been created for this purpose.

As reported, during the August storm, 353 trees were uprooted and broken in the gardens, parks, and cultural and recreational park "Mežaparks", managed by the municipal enterprise "Rīgas meži". Significant damage has been found in another 126 trees — broken tops or large branches.

The most trees were uprooted or broken during the storm in Mežaparks, where 45 trees were affected. In the Tekstilnieku park, 31 trees were affected, on Lucavsala — 28 trees, in the Plavnieku park — 27 trees, and at the Great Cemetery — 26 trees. Trees were also toppled in other places.

During the storm, the capital lost four giant trees — one oak in Verman’s Garden, two ashes in Anatomikum Square, and one poplar that reached the size of a giant tree in Viesturdārzs.