Storm ravages Varėna district, uprooting trees and tearing off roofs

A severe storm struck parts of Lithuania on Thursday afternoon, causing extensive damage in Varėna district, LRT reported. Strong winds uprooted trees, tore off roofs and brought down power lines, particularly in southern Lithuania.

“I cannot remember a whirlwind this strong in many years. Of the past few years, yesterday’s was definitely the strongest,” Veisiejai elder Zenonas Sabaliauskas told LRT.

The storm hit the villages of Varnėnai and Beržiniai particularly hard before moving in a narrow strip towards Leipalingis. Roads were blocked in several places, although many had already been cleared by Friday morning. Residents were asked to report damage to the municipality with photographs.

Sabaliauskas said trees had fallen on houses and outbuildings and that roofs had been torn off. He said the damage was extensive, although the affected area was relatively narrow. A wider path would have caused “enormous” losses, he said.

In the Marcinkonys area, the villages of Puvočiai and Kašėtos suffered the most damage. Trees were uprooted and fell on buildings in some places, while most residents of Puvočiai remained without electricity on Friday morning as crews worked to restore power.

“This is certainly one of the more painful recent events related to natural disasters,” Marcinkonys elder Eglė Ikasalienė told LRT.

In the village of Kasčiūnai, the storm damaged the homestead of partisan Juozas Jakavonis-Tigras, where trees were uprooted. Emilis Bukota, deputy elder of Merkinė, said debris could also be blocking the Merkys River, popular with canoeists, and advised people planning to travel there at the weekend to consider carefully whether it was safe.

Bukota said the wind had torn the roof off a house in Roduka village. He also recounted that one resident had called to say a birch tree had been blown into his homestead.

“Imagine how strong the force must have been to bring a birch tree into his homestead,” Bukota said.

Varėna District Vice-Mayor Alvydas Verbickas, who heads the Emergency Situations Operations Centre, said the situation was reminiscent of 2010, when an exceptionally severe storm struck. “Not on the same scale, but the view is truly sad,” he said.