Vilnius district weighs emergency declaration after storm

Vilnius District Municipality is considering declaring an emergency in the areas hardest hit by a weekend storm, Avižieniai and Riešė elderships, LRT reported.

The municipality said the decision could open additional legal and financial options for compensating losses and dealing with the storm damage more efficiently.

Vilnius District Mayor Robertas Duchnevičius said on Monday that the municipality was collecting information about residents’ losses and awaiting confirmation from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service on whether a natural or catastrophic meteorological event had been recorded in the area.

“After receiving the conclusions from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, we will assess the possibility of declaring an emergency in the hardest-hit areas, Avižieniai and Riešė elderships,” Duchnevičius wrote on Facebook.

He said declaring an emergency would create more opportunities to provide assistance not only to residents but also to municipal budgetary institutions, elderships, legal entities and non-governmental organisations.

The municipality could also allocate more human and financial resources to clearing the storm’s aftermath, including removing fallen trees, Duchnevičius said.

According to the municipality, responsible services and contractors have removed fallen trees, cleared roads and helped restore electricity supplies since the storm. Residents whose property was damaged or whose land contains fallen trees are being asked to contact their eldership.

Information about the damage will be submitted to the commission responsible for using the Vilnius District mayor’s reserve funds. The municipality hopes that at least some residents will be able to receive compensation for damage to their homes caused by the storm.

Heavy rain and strong winds hit parts of Lithuania over the weekend, flooding streets and bringing down numerous trees.