Storm traps residents in Kazlų Rūda homes for third day

LRT reported on Tuesday that residents in parts of Kazlų Rūda municipality remain without electricity and communications after a storm, while some households have been unable to leave their homes for three days.

The municipality declared an emergency on Monday. Mayor Mantas Varaška said the situation remained tense, although crews were gradually clearing the damage.

Restoring water supplies was the municipality’s main priority. The water supply to the last town without it was restored on Tuesday morning, the mayor said. Drinking water is also being delivered to settlements without central water systems, with shipments of 20 to 50 five litre containers sent from the municipal administration.

Food and water are being delivered to hard to reach locations. Four people have been registered as living in such places, and the municipality plans to reach them either independently or with help from statutory services if roads are impassable.

Crews are continuing to clear fallen branches and other storm damage. The municipality hopes to reopen parks and other recreational areas by Wednesday or Thursday.

LRT Radio reporter Dominykas Rimaitis said on Tuesday that the situation was slowly improving, but smaller villages were still without electricity. About 2,300 electricity customers in Kazlų Rūda municipality remained without power, according to the latest information available to him.

Some residents who rely on hydrophores or private water wells also remained without water.

Laima, an employee at a shop in Bagotoji village, said she had been without electricity since Saturday afternoon and had nowhere to charge her phone. She said she might have to throw away food, including meat, from her refrigerator.

Another resident said she had bought a generator after travelling to Kaunas and waiting in a long queue without finding one. She eventually found one in Šakiai and paid several hundred euros for it. She said the electricity network operator ESO had promised to restore power by Thursday.

The municipality has asked the Ministry of National Defence for permission to use the military during the emergency. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas responded on Monday, saying the storm damage in Lithuania remained serious, with some people still without electricity and remote homesteads difficult to reach. He said the responsible services had been mobilised to clear the damage.