Storm waves ravage Palanga coast, washing over dunes

Storm waves ravaged the coast of Palanga, a resort town, on Thursday, reaching the dunes, LRT reported. Residents reacted to footage of the damage with the caption: “There is no beach anymore…”

The worst damage was reported north of Palanga Bridge, where earlier storms this year had already left only a narrow strip of beach. Jolanta Antanavičiūtė filmed the beach completely covered by seawater, along with piles of branches washed ashore.

Large waves driven by strong winds also eroded the dunes and scattered branches that had been laid there for protection. Staff at Palanga’s lifeguard station confirmed the storm was severe, saying water had flooded half of their yard.

Gediminas Valinevičius, director of the Palanga municipal services company, said the beach near the bridge is often damaged by storms. He confirmed that a technical project is being prepared and that the beaches will be replenished with sand.

Rain affected most of Lithuania on Thursday, while strong winds reached gusts of up to 20 metres per second.