Lithuania approves detailed evacuation plan with 75% of residents expected to evacuate independently

Lithuania’s acting interior minister Vladislav Kondratovičius on Tuesday approved a state-level detailed evacuation plan, which estimates that around 75% of residents would be able to evacuate independently, LRT reports, citing BNS.

“Evacuating residents is one of the most important civil defence measures, so in the event of a threat, we must be prepared to act quickly, in a coordinated and clear manner. The approved plan allows us to pre-coordinate the actions of state institutions and municipalities, provide the necessary resources, and ensure that residents receive all the necessary information and assistance in a crisis,” Kondratovičius said in a statement released by the ministry.

According to the plan, municipalities will organise the evacuation of the remaining 25% of residents—those unable to leave using their own transport or who require additional assistance. Priority will be given to the most vulnerable groups, including families with young children, people with disabilities, the elderly, and others in need of support.

The plan outlines the entire evacuation process, from decision-making and warning residents to their transportation, temporary accommodation, and provision of essential assistance. It also establishes the main principles for planning evacuation routes, the operation of collection and reception points, and inter-institutional cooperation.

Residents will be alerted via a public warning system, with messages sent to mobile phones in Lithuanian and English using “Cell Broadcast” technology, alongside the activation of warning sirens. Additional information will be provided through the LT72 mobile app, official state and municipal information channels, and other public communication tools.

Responsibilities are clearly distributed among the Interior Ministry, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Police Department, and the ministries of Transport, Health, Social Security and Labour, Education, Science and Sports, Agriculture, as well as municipalities and other institutions.

The plan includes measures to ensure transport organisation, public order, medical and social assistance, resident registration, temporary accommodation, and humanitarian support. Significant attention is also given to coordinating civilian and military needs.

Municipal evacuation routes will be coordinated with military commandants, the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the Police Department, and other responsible institutions to ensure safe movement of residents while also facilitating military mobility.

The state-level detailed evacuation plan is one of the measures strengthening Lithuania’s civil defence system. It will create preconditions for increasing the preparedness of state institutions and municipalities and ensuring effective protection of residents in the event of various threats. The readiness to implement the functions and algorithms set out in the plan will be tested during state-level civil security exercises.