The director of the Panevėžys Real Estate Management Center, Tadas Misevičius, told the news portal JP that the actual condition of the dome was presented to the contractors, but the exact amount of financial loss cannot yet be specified.
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“As we see, when the dome is unfolded, there are quite a few tears. And we cannot say anything about the losses. We met with the contractors, presented the actual situation, and are waiting for their responses,” he said.
Part of the dome will have to be remanufactured
According to T. Misevičius, the dome will be repaired in several ways – some of the damaged areas are planned to be fixed, but one part of the structure will need to be dismantled and a new one made.
“In any case, we will patch up what we can, and some part will need to be newly manufactured,” explained the director of the Panevėžys Real Estate Management Center.
A strong wind damaged the weakest part of the dome. When the fastening strip rose along with the supporting structure, threaded bolts were torn out, the ventilation sleeve connected to the air inflation system was lifted, and part of the air vent was damaged.
According to T. Misevičius, one separate dome part is planned to be removed, taken away, and a new one made, while another damaged part will be attempted to be sewn and repaired.
It is not yet clear whether the problems that arose during the storm were anticipated when designing the dome. Filmed material has been handed over to the contractors, who will have to provide their conclusions and propose solutions to help avoid a similar situation in the future.
“We know where the weakest spot was, and we presented it; we are waiting for the contractors’ response,” he said.
The competition was stopped, people evacuated
We remind that during the storm, grass volleyball competitions were taking place in the dome, with about 20 people participating. The dome supervisor, seeing the changes in the structure, immediately took action – the competition was stopped, all people were led out of the dome, and later the electricity was turned off and the dome deflated.
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“Our responsible supervisor is instructed on how to act in case of a dome emergency. Seeing the structural changes, he immediately took action, asked everyone to leave. When everyone left, then the electricity was turned off and the dome deflated,” said T. Misevičius.
No one was injured during the incident. On the first day of the storm, it was still too early to assess the damage to the dome, but when the dome was unfolded, it became clear that there were more damages.
The repair may take about a month
Exactly how much the dome repair will cost and when it will start will be clear after receiving the contractors’ conclusions. However, T. Misevičius hopes that a solution will be found quite quickly.
“It all depends on how the contractor presents their response. If the response is positive, we think we should be able to fix it within a month,” he said.
While the damage assessment and technical solutions are being prepared, the dome’s activities will not be able to proceed as usual.
Storm aftermath being cleared throughout the city
The weekend storm in Panevėžys caused damage not only to the football dome. Firefighters responded to the first reports of fallen trees, broken branches, and blocked streets, and later the territory maintenance work was taken over by the employees of AB “Panevėžio specialus autotransportas”.
The company’s crews continue to remove fallen and damaged trees, maintain public spaces, and assess the condition of dangerously leaning trees. Final data on the number of storm-damaged and removed trees is still being clarified.
Residents are urged not to approach dangerously leaning trees, broken trunks, and branches hanging in the tree crowns, and to report any immediate danger by calling the emergency number 112.
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