In the village of Leevaku in Estonia, the library will serve as a crisis center
The library and community center in the village of Leevaku in Põlva County will soon also serve as a crisis center. During prolonged power outages and other emergencies, residents will be able to warm up inside the building, eat, and charge their cell phones.
The resilience center is part of the current crisis response plan covering Leevaku and the neighboring villages of Saareküla, Võuküla, Toolamaa, and Jaanikeste. To assist households, a network of local contact persons has been established to provide support tailored to people’s needs and their ability to cope with the situation on their own.
Additional funding will be allocated for a generator to ensure the operation of the building’s geothermal heating and water supply systems. There are also plans to purchase folding beds, an automated external defibrillator, and other emergency equipment.
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The community also intends to conduct training exercises in collaboration with the Estonian Rescue Service, the Estonian Red Cross, and the Women’s Volunteer Defense Organization. The center is primarily designed to address prolonged power outages, severe weather, and communication disruptions, rather than to serve as a shelter during wartime. In the event of a military threat, residents of the area near Estonia’s southeastern border are scheduled to be evacuated.
The project in Leevaku is one of 13 crisis preparedness initiatives that will receive a total of more than 430,000 euros this year from a fund for the counties of Võru, Põlva, and Valga. Across Estonia, 33 projects are set to receive a total of 1 million euros in support. The library in Leevaku was built in 2023.
