In Latvia, the storm which raced across the country on Sunday with winds gusting at up to 144 kilometers, or 86 miles per hour, ripped off the roofs of houses, uprooted trees and toppled power lines, leaving much of the country blacked out.

On Monday the government in Riga declared a national energy crisis as at least 40 percent of the country remained without power.

Power would be restored to all Latvian cities and towns except Valdemarpils and Talsi in the west of the country, by the end of Monday, Latvian Economics Minister Krisjanis Karins told Baltic News Service (BNS) Monday.

Karins said it would take longer to restore power in Valdemarpils and Talsi because more time was needed to re-install and repair power lines felled by the storm.

In Estonia some 600 people were evacuated from their homes during the weekend storm, and rescue teams were keeping watch Monday on vacant properties to dissuade looters.

Fourteen people were injured in Estonia during the storm and received treatment in hospital, but no details were available about the extent of their injuries.

Water levels were subsiding but a warning was in force for another storm of lesser intensity later Monday.

Material damage was greatest in the western coastal region of the country, and power cuts were still reported throughout the state.

Ferry traffic with Estonia's islands, which was suspended during the storm, has been restored, officials said, while in Latvia, ferry operator Rigas Juras Linijas said it had for the first time in its history delayed ferry sailings not because of ice but due to extremely strong winds.

One of two ferries whose sailings between the Swedish and Latvian capitals were delayed from Saturday night, was due to arrive in Riga from Stockholm on Monday, RJL spokeswoman Evita Matisone said.

The other ferry, between Riga and Stockholm, was expected to sail Monday evening.

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