Incidents involving drones that occurred in Latvia in recent months have once again prompted specialists to discuss the country's readiness for large-scale crises. Although important measures have been taken following criticism from the State Audit Office, experts believe that the civil defense system still faces serious practical challenges, public media reports. Four years ago, the State Audit Office concluded that civil defense had long been neglected, and the level of practical readiness was low. Since then, a Crisis Management Center has been established, a population alert system via mobile communication has been implemented, shelters have been inventoried, and civil protection plans have been prepared. However, according to civil defense expert Vitalijs Rakstiņš, having documents alone does not guarantee readiness for an emergency. "We have documents and plans. But the question is whether they exist only on paper, whether they have been tested in drills and stress tests," the expert notes. Similar concerns are expressed by representatives of local governments. According to Aino Salmiņš, an advisor to the Latvian Association of Local Governments, the same issues have been discussed at closed meetings for several years: the lack of clear action algorithms in the event of a large-scale crisis, inadequately developed evacuation plans, and the absence of realistic calculations of people flows. Particular concern arises regarding what will happen after the first 72 hours following the onset of an emergency. It is during this period that supply disruptions, resource shortages, and the organization of assistance to the population may begin to be felt. Another serious issue concerns people who will not be able to evacuate on their own. Latvia still lacks a unified database of residents with limited mobility who will require assistance in the event of a mass evacuation. The State Fire and Rescue Service also acknowledges that there may be difficulties with material resources during a large-scale crisis. Furthermore, in the event of a necessary mass evacuation, the country may lack transport, drivers, and trained personnel to operate in evacuation points. In fact, specialists agree that the civil defense system has become noticeably better prepared at the organizational level in recent years. However, the main test for it will not be the existence of plans, but the ability to quickly and effectively implement them in a real crisis situation.
