A powerful storm that tore through Lithuania over the weekend has left thousands of people without water, electricity, mobile signal or heating, with one town declaring a local state of emergency as municipalities began assessing damage and clearing debris on Monday.
As of late Monday morning, more than 111,000 customers remained without electricity across the country, according to ESO – a fraction of the 268,000 left without power at the storm’s peak on Saturday evening.
The worst-hit areas
The town of Kazlų Rūda, in central Lithuania, has been hit hardest. Mayor Mantas Varaška said thousands of residents had gone two days without drinking water, forcing authorities to deliver food and water by hand to areas cut off by impassable roads.
Around 2,000 households – roughly 3,000 people – remained without power there on Monday, and the national grid operator, Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius (ESO), warned that some connections might not be restored until August 27-29.
