Almost 1,000 people evacuated in Estonia's largest rescue exercise to date
The country's biggest ever evacuation exercise is currently underway in Southern Estonia, rehearsing the evacuation of 800 people out of a danger zone on Saturday.
In all, nearly 1,000 people will take part in the three-day exercise, which began Friday and will conclude Sunday.
Organized by the Rescue Board and the Estonian Defense League (EDL), the core of the South Bridge exercise is the evacuation of border region residents from a simulated danger zone, the Rescue Board said in a press release Saturday morning.
The exercise is being conducted in close cooperation with the EDL, the Women's Voluntary Defense Organization (Naiskodukaitse, NKK) and local governments as well as the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA), Emergency Response Center, Social Insurance Board (SKA) and the Estonian Red Cross.
Approximately 800 volunteers will be evacuated from Põlva, Võru, Valga and Tartu counties to the nearby Viljandi County.
The Rescue Board noted that other countries' experiences have indicated that evacuations are one of the most vital civil defense mechanisms in crises, and the lives of hundreds and thousands of people can depend on their success.
According to Tagne Tähe, director of the Rescue Board's Southern Rescue Center, it's important to be able to successfully carry out evacuations in the case of, for example, major and natural disasters as well.
"But unfortunately, our eastern neighbor's behavior in recent years has shown that we must be prepared for even the most serious scenarios," Tähe acknowledged. "If we're prepared for the worst, we'll be prepared for anything."
The Southern Rescue Center chief added that one key factor vital to a successful large-scale evacuation is having informed and prepared residents.
"In an actual crisis situation, it's crucial that evacuation orders are taken very seriously and that people have already planned ahead regarding what supplies they need and where they could go," she stressed. "From an organizational standpoint, much of the success of an evacuation depends on how well various institutions cooperate. That's why we have to test in practice where our collaborative strengths lie and where we need to improve."
Lt. Col. Raul Kütt, chief of the EDL's Southern Territorial Defense District, said that the main goal of the evacuation exercise is to rehearse the entire evacuation chain in preparation for a possible military crisis.
"Since a large-scale civilian evacuation impacts society as a whole, it's important to emphasize three key objectives to government authorities, local governments and the population at large regarding why we'll do this in the event of a possible military crisis," Kütt explained. "To protect civilians from injuries and damages resulting from military operations; to ensure our units' operational flexibility and freedom of movement in a combat area; and to prevent the terrorization and deportation of civilians who remain in areas under enemy control. These are not just words; all of this has been confirmed by the last two and a half years in Ukraine."
The exercise is taking place simultaneously in 14 municipalities. The Rescue Board and NKK are opening a total of seven evacuation centers, where the Rescue Board and Estonian Red Cross will be organizing civil defense and first aid training for volunteer evacuees.
A large-scale evacuation in reality involves the relocation of thousands of people to safer locations for their safety. The state can order such an evacuation in the event of a major flood, industrial accidents, air pollution or the threat of military conflict, the Rescue Board explained.
The agency emphasized that if an evacuation order is issued, it must be heeded immediately, as ignoring the order could endanger not only endanger oneself and their loved ones, but others as well.
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Editor: Mait Ots, Aili Vahtla