Storm damage prompts emergency declaration in Biržai district

An emergency situation was declared in Lithuania’s Biržai district on Tuesday because of damage caused by a weekend storm, LRT reported, citing the BNS news agency.

Biržai District Mayor Kęstutis Knizikevičius said the emergency situations operations centre made the decision on Monday, and he signed the order on Tuesday.

About 1,200 electricity customers in the municipality were still without power on Tuesday, down from around 5,000 over the weekend.

“The largest settlements do not have water. We are trying to solve that problem either with generators or by delivering water tanks so residents simply have access to water,” Knizikevičius told BNS.

Municipal offices are also being opened so residents can charge phones, tablets and computers. The mayor said there were no longer any impassable roads or isolated areas in the district.

He identified power outages and damaged lines as the main problem. The response has been complicated by the fact that some faults on high-voltage lines are on the Latvian side of the border.

Knizikevičius said he had asked the government to provide military personnel to help clear dangerous trees and free electricity lines more quickly.

Emergency situations were also declared in the municipalities of Kazlų Rūda and Anykščiai on Monday. The government has so far decided not to declare an emergency situation at the national level.