site.btaUPDATED PM Denkov: Over 1,000 Settlements Still Have No Electricity after Heavy Snowfall

There is still no electricity in over 1,000 settlements in Bulgaria [after the heavy snowfall and the bad weather over the last 24 hours], said Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov at a briefing in the Council of Ministers on Sunday. Denkov called an emergency meeting at the Council of Ministers earlier during the day in connection with the severe winter situation in the country and the state of disaster in several regions.

He stated that the current weather situation is something that can be foreseen but cannot be prevented in such a short timeframe. Since Saturday, all regional governors have held meetings of their coordination staffs to prepare for what happened last night and this morning, the Prime Minister stressed.

Two days ago, the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology warned that a severe weather situation was approaching, associated with a sharp deterioration in the weather and a combination of heavy wet snow and winds. Such development leads to many wires breaking, power poles falling down as the wet snow ices them, branches breaking, and trees falling from the combination of wet snow and winds, Nikolay Denkov said.

“I understand the desire of all people to resolve things quickly, but quickly, in this case, means that the available teams have enough time to be able to remove all the damages, and there are hundreds of them on the power supply, to be able to clear all the roads,” the Prime Minister added. The situation is severe almost in the whole country, especially in Northeastern Bulgaria, he pointed out.

Road clearing continues, but there are a few areas where this is extremely difficult because the snow continues, combined with strong winds. There can be no clear roads until the weather situation improves. In Shumen, Silistra, Razgrad it will continue to be difficult in the coming hours, Denkov noted.

He said the fire brigade was ready to help everywhere but needed time because there was no way to respond to hundreds of signals at the same time. All teams of emergency companies have been mobilized. Where there is strong wind and the snowfall continues, there is no way for the teams to fix the wires because there is a danger to the lives of the electricians. The teams cannot remove all the faults at the same time, it takes time, Nikolay Denkov explained.

He pointed out that if Bulgaria wants to be more stable in terms of the electricity grid, there have to be more serious investments, which will take years.

“A state of disaster has been declared in several regions. We are gathering information on how the school day will go on Monday,” the Prime Minister stated.

Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said he received a phone call Sunday morning from the Regional Governor of Veliko Tarnovo (North-central Bulgaria) and gave permission for teams from the National Military University to join the snow clearing. Tagarev spoke at a briefing at the Council of Ministers, adding that no other requests for assistance have been made so far.  

"We are ready to act if necessary," the Minister said.

The Bulgarian Army keeps 24 formations ready to take action in such cases and acts on the request of the chiefs of emergency task forces, Todor Tagarev explained. The situation in Bulgaria remains complicated after heavy snowfalls. 

The most complicated situation is in Northeastern Bulgaria, as there are problems with power supply in 462 settlements in that part of the country, said Energy Minister Rumen Radev at the briefing. He noted that there is a problem with access to the areas where power outages have been detected.

Radev also stated that there are some parts of Sofia where problems with power supply are also present.

The Minister explained that as a result of the complex situation, a number of overhead power lines have been affected which led to disconnections and restrictions of power supply to the feeder substations. He said that 16 substations were affected and half of them had power restored by 10:45 am. Eight substations are still without power. In medium and low-voltage networks, most of the power lines have broken cables as a result of fallen branches.

The Minister assured that the gas transmission network is working normally, as well as the heating network. 

Denkov also commented on the remarks of Movement for Rights and Freedoms floor leader Delyan Peevski, who has been sanctioned by the United States for corruption under the Global Magnitsky Act. Peevski said that in such situations the Prime Minister should be among the people instead of calling an emergency meeting and staying in his office. 

“I do not know how Peevski envisages the role of a prime minister. I urge him, if he wants, to go out with a snow plough, a shovel and clear the snow. The role of the institutions is to see where there is a need for additional support and provide it,” Denkov stressed.

Later on Sunday, Peevski responded, quoted by his party's press centre, by saying that Denkov has not learned the most important lesson of being in power- that it is in the name of the people. "If he admits that they cannot cope if they do not understand what they must do to govern the State, let them elect me as prime minister. I will not run from responsibility and can cope. I will always work for the people. I expect their nomination as early as today [Sunday]," he said. 

Tryavna Municipality in Gabrovo Region (North-central Bulgaria) has declared a state of disaster and the following municipalities and regions in the Northeast: Vulchi Dol Municipality in Varna Region, Krushari Municipality in Dobrich Region, Razgrad Region, Silistra Region, Shumen Region, except for the city of Shumen. Schools and kindergartens have been suspended across the affected areas. 

Students from over 280 schools in thirteen districts of the country will not study on Monday due to the complicated situation - lack of electricity, cut internet, broken wires, impassable roads, etc. The decisions were taken Sunday by district crisis staff, district governors and mayors, the Education Ministry said in a press release on Sunday.

The information is as of 5 pm. There are still municipalities where crisis staff are still meeting and there may be changes, for which there will be timely information. 

A list of educational institutions for which Monday is currently declared as a non-school day is published on the Ministry of Education's website.

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Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, together with Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev and the Director of Directorate General of Fire Safety and Population Protection Alexander Dzhartov carried out inspections at several locations in the capital, where teams are working to clear streets of fallen branches and trees. Stoyanov thanked all Interior Ministry employees who are on the spot around the clock. Hundreds of signals have been received during the day and night on the phone of the Directorate General of Fire Safety and Population Protection, and many people in emergency situation have been rescued, Stoyanov said. He specified that henceforth rapid snow melt will be monitored and the levels of the dams will be controlled.

The forces and means of the units of the Directorate General of Fire Safety and Population Protection are involved in the localization and settlement of 177 accidents, with 190 units of equipment and 586 employees. By 3 p.m. on Sunday, the teams had responded to a total of 243 alerts and over 500 alerts since the heavy snowfall began.

So far, more than 120 people have been evacuated, and work continues on several reports of people in an emergency in the regions of Sofia, Vratsa, Plovdiv and Varna, the Council of Ministers said later on Sunday.