Latvija ir neparasti droša vieta dzīvošanai, ja runa ir par dabas noteikto kārtību. Cik zinu, Baltijas jūrā neveidojas cunami, zemestrīces ir liels retums un arī vulkānu izvirdumu nav. Tāpēc, sākoties kam līdzīgam dabas stihijai, nav brīnums, ka cilvēki rīkojas mazliet neparasti. Tā tas notika arī pagājušonedēļ Jelgavā.
Esmu uzaudzis Jaunzēlandē lielas upes krastā. Pali, kas reizi pāris gados izvērtās lielos plūdos, tur ir pierasta parādība. Tāpat kā Jelgavā cilvēki dodas tos vērot, tomēr vispirms viņi cenšas pasargāt savus mājokļus. Jaunzēlandē cilvēki metas kopā, lai sniegtu palīdzību tiem, kam tā nepieciešama, vienalga, vai tie svešinieki, vai radi un draugi.Šeit māju pasargāšana nešķiet tik būtiska, vairāk cilvēki cenšas nofotografēt labāko skatu. Uz Lielupes tiltiem šajās dienās trūka tikai alus un uzkodu pārdevēju, kas radītu īsta pasākuma gaisotni. Cilvēku daudzums, kas steidza nofotografēties uz upes fona, bija pārsteidzošs – tā tiešām bija kļuvusi par iecienītāko tūrisma objektu. Žēl vienīgi, ka tas nekādā veidā nepalīdzēs Latvijas ekonomikai.Mani pārsteidza, ka cilvēki bija tik nesagatavoti plūdiem. Visas ziemas garumā prese pastāvīgi informēja, ka sniega daudzums ir teju rekordliels, līdz ar to bija skaidrs, ka tādam jābūt arī ūdens daudzumam upēs. Tad kāpēc netika darīts vairāk, lai pasargātu mājas? Tām, kas atrodas vistuvāk upēm, vajadzēja vismaz smilšu maisus salikt apkārt vai arī apkārt izrakt grāvjus, kuros novirzīt ūdeni, bet netika darīts ne tas, ne tas. Drīzāk šķita, ka lielākā daļa ir samierinājušies ar māju applūšanu, kurā nekas daudz nav darāms.Kad par to runāju ar dažiem saviem latviešu draugiem, arī viņi teica, ka cilvēki maz ko var pasākt un šķita pārsteigti par domu, ka varētu doties palīgā arī svešiniekiem. Laikam jau biju pārāk liels optimists, domājot, ka kaut kas tāds var notikt Latvijā. Tā vietā labāk gatavošos citai gaidāmajai straumei – bildēm ar pārplūdušu upju priekšā pozējošiem cilvēkiem portālā Draugiem.lv.Why was more not done to protect people’s houses?When it comes to all things natural, Latvia is an extraordinarily safe place to live. To the best of my knowledge, not too many tsunamis form in the Baltic Sea, earthquakes a rarity and volcanoes are not really an issue. So when something of a natural disaster does occur it is not surprising that people become somewhat curious. This was certainly the case in Jelgava over the past week. Growing up by a large river in New Zealand, floods were something of a common occurrence, with a major flood occurring every couple of years. Like here in Jelgava, people would also come out to see the floods with their own eyes, but the more pressing issue would be dealt with first, namely securing and protecting houses that were threatened by the floods. In New Zealand, everyone pitches together to assist those in need, regardless of if they are strangers or family and friends. Seemingly protecting houses threatened by the floods does not seem to have been such a pressing issue here, with most people more focudsed on getting the perfect photo. Seemingly all that was missing from bridges over the Lielupe this week has been people selling Aldaris and semitchki to the curious onlookers, giving the event a proper festive atmosphere. I have been absolutely blown away by the flow of people flocking to get photos posing in front of the river, it really does seem to have become the biggest tourist attraction in Latvia. It is just a shame that considering the crisis, this was a tourist attraction that is not in any way going to help the Latvian economy. I was also surprised by how unprepared people were for the floods. Throughout the winter the media have constantly been reminding of us of the fact that the snows we have been experiencing have been record breaking, so obviously this would lead to record snow melts come spring which would obviously lead to record river levels. So with this in mind, why was more not done to protect people’s houses? I thought that as a bare minimum precaution, houses lying closest to the river would be sandbagged, or trenches would be dug to divert the water, neither of which seemed to occur. Rather it seemed most were resigned to the fact their houses would be flooded and not much could be done about it. When I brought this up with some Latvian friends, their answer was that their was little people could do and seemed amused at the idea that everyone could get out and help with the sandbagging and assist strangers. Perhaps I was being too much of an optimist that something like that would happen in Latvia, the thought of everyone pitching in to help out in a time of crisis. In the mean time, I will prepare for a new flood: people’s posing shots in front of the flooded river appearing on draugiem in coming days.
