Kazlų Rūda declares emergency and seeks military aid
Monday 24th August 2026 on 10:15 in
Lithuania
Kazlų Rūda municipality declared an emergency on Monday after a storm, with around 1,200 electricity customers still without power, LRT reported. Mayor Mantas Varaška said this could mean that between 3,000 and 4,000 residents remain without electricity.
Many areas remain uncleared and dangerous, and access to some parks and recreational spaces will be restricted until they are made safe.
The municipality has received requests from residents for water, food and medicines. Some people in more remote villages have been without electricity for a second day, while communications were also disrupted in some locations.
The municipality is seeking help from the Ministry of National Defence to deploy the military during the emergency. Soldiers could deliver food, water, medicines and other supplies to the hardest-to-reach locations, as well as help remove the storm damage in the town and local administrative districts.
The municipality has not yet assessed the damage or calculated the cost of the required work. Varaška said the emergency declaration would allow institutions to provide assistance more quickly, including transferring generators and arranging other support without additional formal procedures.
The municipality is also considering involving residents in clearing the affected areas. In return for their work, they could receive timber or larger branches from fallen trees.
Varaška said the immediate priority was to reach everyone requesting help, especially people lacking water. If necessary, water would be delivered directly to homes and homesteads.
Conditions are more difficult in remote parts of the municipality, where assistance takes longer to reach residents. Older people living in isolated homesteads and remote dwellings who have mobility problems may be particularly vulnerable.
The storm that struck on Saturday brought down trees, killed one person and injured four others. More than 268,000 residents were left without electricity. According to the latest ESO data, 129,000 customers remain without power, mainly in the Kaunas, Utena, Panevėžys and Vilnius regions.