Some trees have been uprooted, others have broken trunks and large branches. Until the storm damage is cleared, walking in parts of the cemetery area may be dangerous.
Assessing the damage
According to representatives maintaining the Šilaičiai cemetery, the area is being inspected and assessed. First, trees posing dangers to visitors and broken branches will be removed, and blocked paths will be cleared.
Only after removing the trees will it be possible to accurately determine how many graves have been damaged and the extent of the losses caused by the storm. Cemetery visitors are urged to be cautious, avoid approaching leaning trees, broken trunks, and hanging branches.
Record call volume
On Saturday, when dangerous weather hit Lithuania, the Emergency Response Center (ERC) recorded the highest call volume this year.
From 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., the ERC received 11,460 calls, the majority of which were reports related to the storm’s aftermath. Normally, the center receives about 5,000 calls in a 24-hour period.
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The very high call volume was also contributed to by reports of power supply disruptions. Some residents, unable to report faults through the usual ESO channels, reported them via the 112 number.
The ERC asks residents to call 112 only in cases where urgent police, firefighter-rescuer, or medical assistance is needed.
According to ESO data, about 155,000 residents of the country faced power supply problems on Saturday evening.
Preliminary data from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service indicate that the strongest wind gusts at Ventė Cape and Nida reached 33 meters per second. This is hurricane-strength wind. According to meteorologists, Saturday’s storm was the strongest this summer.
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