Latvia Tests a Route to Safety
A planned evacuation drill between Latvia and Lithuania tests how neighboring countries share responsibility when civilians need to seek safety across a border.
Authorities in Latvia and Lithuania scheduled their first joint practical cross-border evacuation exercises for November 5 and 10, testing how people would move from an early warning to transport, reception and temporary accommodation.
The first route runs from Daugavpils, in southeastern Latvia, through Jēkabpils to Pasvalys, in northern Lithuania. A reverse exercise on November 10 will take participants from Šiauliai to Ķekava in Latvia.
Up to 100 volunteers are expected across the two days, according to Lithuania’s Fire and Rescue Department. Both countries describe the drills as planned exercises using voluntary participants.
