Storm leaves Lithuania strewn with fallen trees and damaged roofs

Severe storms swept across Lithuania on Thursday evening and overnight, bringing heavy rain, thunder, strong winds and hail, LRT reported. The storms affected many districts, with the greatest damage reported in Dzūkija, where trees were uprooted or broken, building roofs were damaged and traffic was disrupted.

Firefighters were called 49 times to remove trees brought down by the storm, including 25 times in Alytus County. No injuries were reported.

Saulius Raščevskis, a senior specialist at the Fire and Rescue Department’s Situation Coordination Division, told ELTA that crews worked throughout the night. In some cases, they removed up to 50 trees during a single callout in Varėna District, while 25 trees were removed during one callout in Lazdijai District.

Most trees had fallen across roads. Three fell on cars, one fell on a building and four had to be removed from power lines. In Šalčininkai District, a tree fell onto the roof of a two-storey apartment building. No one was hurt in those incidents.

Jolita Orentaitė, head of communications at the Fire and Rescue Department, said more callouts could be expected on Friday. She described the previous 24 hours as one of the most difficult periods for the service in terms of dealing with the aftermath of a storm.

On Thursday evening, Seimas member Angelė Jakavonytė said the storm had damaged the homestead of partisan Juozas Jakavonis-Tigras.

In Kaunas, a tree fell across the entire roadway on Perkūno Avenue. Firefighters cut it up with a chainsaw and cleared the road.

Several roads in Prienai District were also blocked. Six trees were removed in Tartupis village, five in Ignacava village and one lane was blocked by fallen trees in Išmanai village.

In Birštonas, a tree fell onto a car in a parking area on B. Sruogos Street. Firefighters initially removed only part of the tree because of the risk of further damaging the vehicle, completing the work after the owner arrived. Trees were also removed from roads in Karalienė Barbora Avenue and Turistų Street.

In Balaikai village in Marijampolė Municipality, firefighters stood by while electricity network workers dealt with a tree that had dangerously tilted onto power lines.

Meteorologists recorded more than 4,200 lightning strikes during the storms.