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The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service reports that, according to weather forecasts, thaw has already started throughout Lithuania. The water is likely to start rising in the first week of March and will peak in mid-March.
The residents of the Kaunas district, and especially the elderly in Domeikava, Karmėlava and Lapiai, may be particularly affected by this thaw. Mantas Rikteris, deputy director of the Kaunas district municipality administration, explains to the tv3.lt news portal that the main danger is due to extremely large snow accumulations.
“The river is frozen at the moment, there is a threat that when the air heats up, floods, glaciers and floods, floods may occur in the territories located in the Kaunas district.
The main task now is to inform the population of what we have done. There are several ways to inform, one of which is the brochures that are distributed to the population. The local elder talks to everyone, he also informs them orally about the danger ”, says M. Rikteris.
The local population will be informed about rising water levels by additional acoustic signals. According to M. Rikter, the municipality has also invested in special water metering devices that can report imminent danger in real time.
Residents don’t feel much anxiety
The first information on how to prepare for the flood and what to do if there is a real threat reached residents of the district on Monday.
“The Fire and Rescue Department recommends that pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, and children living in potentially flooded areas go to safer places.
Residents are advised to provide waterproof clothing, perishable food, medicine, mobile devices, and other essential items. All electrical outlets must be insulated. If there is a risk of suffocation, remove food and valuables from basements. Withdraw reserves of fertilizers and pesticides, do not leave open pollutants that can harm the environment, “said the municipality in a statement.
However, the locals do not turn their heads too much at the threat of flooding and try to continue living a normal life. Lina Mišeikienė, the elderly woman from Domeikava, who is in the danger zone, claims that residents were interviewed, there was not a single person in the entire body of elders who could not evacuate in an emergency situation.
“Everyone knows everything, everyone has experienced it. Live in standby mode. {…} And yesterday I related to the man who survived that flood, they did not get up anywhere, they did not move, they spent a few days without light when they went up to the second floor, because the patio was completely flooded. But they have a view of the Neris, apparently that beautiful view redeems that inconvenience every ten years. I asked him if he was not afraid to live here, he said no, ”says the elderly Domeikava.
History repeats itself
Juozas Ravinis, president of the Radikiai village community, shares similar thoughts. It was this town that was flooded ten years ago with a flood of similar intensity to that foreseen also this year. However, the locals are not overly afraid of the second disaster.
“Anyway, at least I don’t know if anyone is doing something specifically. Clearly, people can move in with their parents or children in the spring if they can, as communication between multiple families is still prohibited.
Where a person is ready here, the older the elderly are and everything will be like that. Some residents can charge appliances. Some people moved the kitchens to the second floor after the first flood, ”says the president of the rural community.
J. Ravinis recalls how the entire garden community called town was flooded a decade ago. The danger was then even greater because the pressure was below zero for a long time and the ice was thicker. According to the man, houses from which the Neris river is not even visible were also blocked, and the Kleboniškis forest on the sides was also affected.
“It just came to our knowledge then (Damage – Automatic Mail). Especially on the Kleboniškis side. Since there was a more expensive place, more luxurious houses, there were more sunken cars in the garage. People tried to leave when the water came up, but there was no question for a moment.
Those buildings are so temporary, toilets, sheds, some were sailing, others were broken by ice. The amount of damage is high if all the households are put together, “shares J. Ravinis, president of the local community, in his memories.
Bridge construction is dangerous
According to J. Ravinis, ten years ago the flood was caused by the accumulation of ice in the curves of the river between the islands. This year, the situation is a little different, because the greatest danger is not the construction of the island of Neris, but a new bridge near the Kleboniškis forest.
“Currently, the river bed is artificially narrowed to that bridge due to ongoing construction work. As much as we talked with the Road Administration and Kauno tiltai, they did not assess the risk when designing and implementing that narrowing,” says M. Rikteris , Deputy Director of the Municipal Administration, on the problem.
Giedrė Samulionytė-Lekavičienė, a representative of the Kauno tiltai construction management company, tells tv3.lt that the situation is known and that steps have already been taken to stop the danger.
The boom of a special ship excavator, up to 7 meters long, is already breaking the ice at Nery’s site, so the goal is to avoid potential confusion.
“In addition, surveillance cameras have been installed on the bridge supports of the facility. They constantly capture the situation. We also regularly lift an unmanned aerial vehicle that, spreading across the river bed, sends visual information for a kilometer from the construction site to the side of the old town of Kaunas and the same, towards Kleboniškis. The latter is analyzed and decisions are made, ”says a company representative.
G. Samulionytė-Lekavičienė also notes that AB Kauno tiltai is solely responsible for the location of the river bed at the object.
According to experts, the main risk of ice crush and flooding is in the upper part of the river from the location of the bridge under construction. As mentioned, maximum efforts are made both in monitoring the glacier and in active cooperation with other institutions to prevent the threat of flooding, ”he says.
Ensure – Complicated
So far, it is difficult to predict what kind of flood damage to the population can be expected this year. Rikter says residents can stay close to loved ones for the time being, and the municipality will provide temporary housing for those who don’t.
The Kaunas District Municipality is not liable for property damage, only private insurance companies do. However, J. Ravinis, a resident of Radikiai village, says they are wary of the population at risk of flooding.
“I heard they face new rules: If there was a flood benefit, they would compensate for all the damage done, but after that, the risk is no longer valid for a while.
Because many of the houses were in fact built on floodplain meadows, it was forbidden to have plots there for a time. But people are greedy, acquiring little by little. Other people have bought and are not even aware of such danger, ”says J. Ravinis.
Domeikava elder L. Mišeikienė also faced the reluctance of insurance companies to insure people living in risky places: “Maybe they insured, but insurers don’t insure. Or it’s very expensive and people just choose not to insure. “
One of the largest insurance companies in Lithuania, Lietuvos Draudimas, in its proposals, in fact, highlights a separate element for insurance against flood damage. It turns out that losses are not compensated if “a flood was foreseen at the place of insurance (occurs at least once every 10 years, that is, the 100-year period and the number of floods in a specific area during that period are analyzed when assessing the probability of flooding) “.
Threat throughout Lithuania
The threat of flooding this year is real not only in Kaunas district: Residents of Birštonas, Jurbarkas district, Kaunas district, Kėdainiai district, Klaipėda district, Kupiškis district, Pagėgiai, Panevėžys district are urged, Šilalė district, Šilutė district, Tauragė district to prepare for potential water disasters, the threat is greater, but it is also possible in other municipalities.
If necessary, municipalities can be flown over with helicopters to inspect areas and potential dangers posed by the accumulation of ice deposits, and the situation in municipalities is monitored by drones. As the water level rises, warning messages will be sent to residents.
Before the flood begins, residents are advised to make sure there is enough food, clean water, matches, and firewood for a few days. All electrical wiring must also be well insulated to avoid short circuits. Take vegetables, groceries, valuables out of basements and lighter items that can be damaged by water can be taken to upper floors, shelters.
If flooding is likely, wells should be sealed to prevent contaminated surface water from entering. To protect the house from ice clutter, it is necessary to forge protective posts, and it is also advisable to mark with flags or other posters how to get from the main road to the farm.
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