Anykščiai mayor questions power restoration priorities after storm

Anykščiai District Municipality Mayor Kęstutis Tubis has questioned the priorities for restoring electricity after two social care home branches went without power and water for more than three days, LRT reports.

The Svėdasai and Troškūnai branches of Anykščiai Social Care Homes lost electricity and water after Saturday’s storm. The Burbiškis branch, located near Anykščiai, still had both services.

“We have electricity and water in one branch, in Burbiškis, but in the larger branches in Svėdasai and Troškūnai we have neither electricity, water nor communications,” director Jolita Gečienė told the news agency ELTA.

The facilities have been using generators, but they provide enough power only for essential needs such as lighting, charging devices, kettles and a microwave oven. More than 50 residents are being cared for at the two affected branches.

Gečienė said the branches had received information from the Electricity Distribution Operator that power was expected to be restored by August 28. She said hospitals, outpatient clinics and social care homes should be given priority, but staff had been unable to reach the operator by telephone.

“The conditions are truly difficult,” Gečienė said, adding that staff had to heat water for washing residents and use dry bathing products, which were not suitable for everyone. She thanked the municipality and Anykščių Vandenys, the local water utility, for providing assistance and responding to wastewater problems.

Tubis told ELTA that power had returned to Troškūnai about 10 minutes before he spoke. He said the branch had gone more than three days without electricity, water or wastewater services and that the municipality had been delivering assistance to dozens of elderly residents, including people who were bedridden.

Saturday’s storm brought down trees in many parts of Lithuania, killing one person and injuring four. Electricity supplies were disrupted for more than 268,000 customers, while about 74,600 Electricity Distribution Operator customers were still without power on Tuesday afternoon.

Mobile communications were also disrupted, although operators said on Tuesday that most of their networks had been restored. The Lithuanian Insurers Association said the storm had caused more than 3 million euros in insured losses to residents and businesses, with insurers receiving more than 3,000 damage reports.