The visit to Äripäev radio was a follow-up to a longer article “No requirements – no shelters” (pages 26-29) in Ehitaja 4(275), published in Spring 2023. In the article, we highlighted the concerns of shelter policy, the lack of shelters, and the gap in legislation.

According to the programme, the state of shelter construction in Estonia is now relatively similar to that of spring 2023. “The shelter system in Estonia is currently based on public hiding places, which provide primary protection from flying objects. Unfortunately, public hiding places are not bomb shelters, and we still do not have them in Estonia,” Nagel stated.

The radio program also discussed the law amending the Emergency Situations Act. “A draft amendment to the Emergency Preparedness Act, which includes requirements for the construction of bomb shelters, has gone through the consultation stage, but there have been no responses. It’s encouraging that Finland, in particular, is setting an example. Bomb shelters, as defined by the new law, are specifically built for sheltering purposes, whereas public hiding places are previously existing buildings or parts of buildings adapted for this purpose, and thus do not provide equivalent protection,” said Nagel.

The visit to the radio can be summarised as follows. The state of crisis preparedness is concerning, as there are no bomb shelters capable of protecting against direct hits, and existing public hiding places provide only minimal protection against flying objects. At the same time, the population’s awareness and preparedness for crisis situations is extremely low, with costs passed on to end users, making housing unaffordable for many, emphasising the need for a stronger national contribution to civil defence.

🎙️ Listen to the programme here and read the 2023 article on the Äripeäv portal.

Photo: Kirke Ert/ERR, 2023.