Community center in rural Estonian village to double as local crisis hub
In Põlva County, Leevaku's library-community center will soon double as a crisis hub where locals can stay warm, eat and charge phones in emergencies like prolonged outages.
The hub, or resilience center, is part of a wider existing crisis plan covering Leevaku and nearby Saareküla, Võuküla, Toolamaa and Jaanikeste, with a network of local contact people assigned to help households based on their needs and ability to manage on their own, Lõuna-Eesti Postimees writes.
New funding will pay for a generator to keep the building's geothermal heating and water systems running, cots, an AED and other emergency supplies, with the community also planning drills and relevant training with the Rescue Board, Estonian Red Cross and Women's Voluntary Defense Organization.
The center is designed mainly for extended power outages, storms and communications disruptions rather than wartime shelter, however, with residents of the area near the southeastern border expected to be evacuated in the event of a military threat.
The project is one of 13 crisis-readiness initiatives receiving a total of more than €430,000 this year from a fund covering Võru, Põlva and Valga counties; nationwide, 33 projects are set to receive €1 million in support.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
