According to Social Democrat Kęstutis Vilkauskas, the Government's algorithms and plans were ineffective in the event of a storm. As a result, he said, the Government should review the action plans for institutions and services.
„This storm will not be the last, and the country must prepare for it. Of course, the institutions and all services should revise their action and coherence plans again,“ Vilkauskas explained in the Seimas on Thursday.
„Yes, a disaster is a disaster, and we cannot predict when the next storm will come. But the actions that took place during this storm are unjustifiable, and the authorities should have reacted more quickly,“ he said.
The MP also said that with parts of society still without electricity, the reforms that have been implemented are to blame, as they have reduced the number of staff at key service providers and reduced their capacity to help the public. In particular, they singled out the reduction of ESO staff.
„We call for an immediate, exceptional urgency to address the shortage of officials and a fundamental review of ESO's oversight, as this company has long been out of step, and its categorical refusal to invest in upgrading the electricity grid infrastructure is costing us all dearly,“ he said.
Social Democrats reject Kreivys' proposals on generators: cynical
The Social Democrats also reject the statements by Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys that residents could buy generators themselves. This is „cynical“ advice, they say, and it is up to the authorities to help vulnerable people, such as pensioners and people with disabilities, with generators.
„Kreivys and ESO are calling for the purchase of generators. I'm sure the Minister is knowledgeable and knows how to use this generator, but is he making sure that people know and will not burn their houses down? Perhaps ESO, through its large budgets and with generators in operation, could put them where they are needed the most in a crisis or for municipalities or people,“ commented Eugenijus Sabutis.
„They could certainly run a programme to help people who cannot afford it themselves or are socially vulnerable with generators“, echoed K. Vilkauskas.
Sabutis also criticised the inaction of Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė and Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė.
„Kreivys justified ESO by saying how much work was being done and how teams of electricians were fixing faults. But the strange thing is that ESO is not under his direct authority. ESO is under the Ministry of Finance. In this case, the Minister has not said a word, and neither has the Minister of the Interior,“ he claimed.
At the same time, Orinta Leiputė accused the authorities and services of not ensuring that vulnerable groups had access to electricity or mobile communications in response to the storm and its aftermath. According to her, it should be regulated that in the event of a crisis, access to telecommunications should be restored to the population as soon as possible.
„It is as if an elderly person with a whole complex of health problems runs to the supermarket, buys a generator and solves his problems. A young family will also have that opportunity and resources. That is absurd and cynical. Of course, we all have to take care of our own families, but it is very insensitive to pass the buck to the population,“ explained Ms Leiputė.
„I think there is a need to review the regulation and how entities and institutions can fulfil the obligation to be able to ensure the connection“, she argued.
According to ESO Director Renaldas Radvila on Thursday, around 27,000 households in the country were without electricity at 11:00, half of which were in the Vilnius region, which has declared an emergency. According to the Deputy Minister, this number is expected to drop to 10,000 by Thursday evening.
ELTA recalls that over the weekend and at the beginning of the week, Lithuania was hit by a severe storm that uprooted trees and killed a woman in her 50s in Vilnius, Grigiškės. Municipalities and residents estimate the damage caused by the disaster to be in the millions.