Chisinau, 4 February /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the Commission for Emergencies today, the government's communication and press relations department has said.

The head of the Interior Ministry's (MAI) Civilian Protection and Emergencies Service, Mihai Harabagiu, has said that, over the last days, the number of fires rose, especially in dwellings, up to 14-15 during 24 hours. As many as 259 fires have occurred since early 2012, in the wake of which 27 people died.

Harabagiu also said that, to prevent fires, rescuers started a comprehensive information campaign in mass media. At the same time, inspectors visited over 16,000 dwellings to check whether the conditions of heating systems' exploitation are observed.

As for the danger of drowning, Mihai Harabagiu said that no case of this kind had been recorded so far, and that the ice poses no danger now. Yet, he warned the citizens not to take risks of crossing water basins.

The MAI official also said that, starting from 1 February, 17 tents were set, that are heated and where the citizens may find shelter in frost, are served with warm tea, drinking water and biscuits. The tents were placed in the Chisinau and Balti municipalities, as well as in the towns of Soroca, Hincesti, Comrat and Cahul.

As for the work of the gas, electric and thermal energy supply systems, Deputy Prime Minister, Economics Minister Valeriu Lazar said no problems are registered at present.

Transport and Roads' Infrastructure Minister Anatolie Salaru said there are no problems with the traffic on all the national roads. He specified that 70,500 tons of anti-skid material were reserved to clean roads. Besides, the salt accounts for 30 per cent of the anti-skid material in 2012, against 10 per cent during the years before, that ensures a better cleaning of the roadway.

Salaru also said over 440 machines are prepared to intervene to clean snow of the roads and spread anti-skid material. At the same time, supervision cameras were set on more roads, and the situation is monitored, so that roadmen intervene promptly if necessary.

Anatolie Salaru noted that the ministry efficiently cooperates with the traffic police to prevent cases of roads' blocking because of the vehicles that are not equipped properly for this period.

For his part, Interior Minister Alexei Roibu said that, to prevent cases of hypothermia, law-enforcers make raids and carry shelterless people to placement centres.

Roibu also said that, last week, the period during which carabineers patrol Chisinau streets and nearby the diplomatic missions to ensure public order was maximally limited. Also, the concerned servicemen were supplied with warm equipment.

Deputy Education Minister Tatiana Poting said the education process was suspended in 13 kindergartens and 6 gymnasiums from 8 Moldovan districts, and the duration of classes was shortened to 30 or 35 minutes in more institutions.

In this context, Prime Minister Vlad Filat said the decision to suspend the work of the education institutions is taken by the local administration along with the heads of the education departments and the schools leadership. He said the priority is the children's health, whereas the classes are to be recovered afterwards.

Health Minister Andrei Usatii said that 47 people appealed to doctors because of hypothermia and chilblains. He said there are no difficulties in the activity of the medical institutions because of low temperatures, and that the latter work as normal. At the same time, the health minister emphasized that, for the time being, the number of patients with viroses and other respiratory infectious diseases is constant and there is no risk of an epidemic.

Labour, Social Protection and Family Minister Valentina Buliga specified that the social institutions work with no problems. She also said the social assistants and employees had been warned to monitor the situation and help the people in need of assistance.

At the meeting, the director of the State Hydro-meteorological Centre, Ilie Boian, said the temperatures will go up on the next days. Yet, he added, starting from 7 February, the weather will cool again, and the temperatures will drop to -27 Celsius degrees at night and -16 degrees during the day.

Agriculture and Food Minister Vasile Bumacov said that, due to the snowfall from the last night, the cereals are no longer in danger to freeze.

Prime Minister Vlad Filat warned all the institutions to be prepared and intervene if necessary. He also said communication and exchange of information must be ensured to cope with the weather conditions.

"The institutions in charge should further assist shelterless or lonely people, and the employees of the Interior Ministry should foster the patrolling of the streets and places where homeless people, especially minors, shelter themselves and transport them to placement centres," Vlad Filat said.

The prime minister also asked the Transport and Roads' Infrastructure Ministry to oblige the managers of transport firms to check thoroughly and daily all the passenger transport units, before the latter start working.

At the same time, the prime minister demanded that the Foreign and European Integration Ministry, via diplomatic missions, provide assistance to Moldovan citizens in case they need support.

At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Vlad Filat visited one of the tents set by the MAI's Civilian Protection and Emergencies Service in the Botanica district of Chisinau.

Filat said the setting of tents during frost is a new practice in Moldova, but that proved to be very useful.

"The leadership of the Civilian Protection and Emergencies Service along with the State Material Reserves Agency are to see whether they may extend the set of provided services, so that they may give warm clothes to people in need, and also distribute other foodstuffs, besides biscuits and tea," Vlad Filat said.

The tents set in crowded places are heated with generators, and the temperature is not lower than +15 Celsius degrees. People may shelter themselves there daily starting from 8:00. Mihail Harabagiu said employees of the above-mentioned service take care of more than 3,000 people at these rehabilitation points during 24 hours.