On Monday, Kazlų Rūda became the second municipality – after the Anykščiai district – to declare a state of emergency.
„Lithuania is in a deepening crisis for the third day running,“ Varaška posted on Facebook. „The disaster has buried tens of thousands of buildings, roads and passageways. 270,000 users – or at least 600,000 people – are without electricity. The BPC and ESO ‘systems’ crashed as early as Saturday evening. That same evening and night, just as two years ago, the power went out – hundreds of mobile phone masts went offline. Tens of thousands of people ran out of battery on their mobile phones within a day. Hundreds of traffic lights and level crossings are still out of service. Signalmen are standing on the railway lines.“
Varaška stated openly that the state’s security systems „have once again proved to be worthless“.
„They were brought down not by some cyber-attack from Russia or China, but by Mother Nature, who takes no political sides,“ added Varaška.
Here, the mayor of Kazlų Rūda emphasised that local authorities have been left virtually on their own to deal with extremely complex situations.
„Yesterday and today, shortages of drinking water, food, medicines and hygiene products are growing across the country. The agricultural sector follows suit, as do the food industry and small shops, all of which are left without electricity. ESO reports are changing by the hour. For many, electricity restoration is only promised after 2–4 days. Local authorities, realising the scale of the disaster, are declaring states of emergency. Some ministries are moving towards such a decision, – Varaška stated openly. -
I certainly haven’t listed everything yet, but it’s all truly overwhelming. We can’t keep up with plugging the gaps or responding to people’s calls. We take it all in – the emotions, the swearing, the despair. We in the local authorities cannot work miracles. Perhaps no one could do so now. At the very least, the example and support of the country’s leaders would provide moral support.“
Having spoken of the example set by the country’s leaders, Varaška pointed the finger at President Gitanas Nausėda. His leadership was sorely missed quite recently when the paedophilia scandal involving priests broke out, and Nausėda did not respond until almost a week later.
Nausėda is currently visiting Ukraine, where he took part in a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
However, according to Varaška, this cannot be an excuse to disregard what is happening in Lithuania, where cries for help echo from all corners of the country.
„It’s harsh, but there’s nothing like it. The President of Lithuania is nowhere to be seen. These days, he is with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Not with the Lithuanian people. The president has not said a single word about the situation in Lithuania so far. The First Lady managed to show off three dresses. I support Ukraine, but I can no longer comprehend the extent of the president’s cynicism or his failure to respond adequately to the crisis in his own country. If he is unable to return to summon the authorities, issue orders, or bang his fist on the table, then he should at least visit one district, meet the victims, and express some human compassion.
„Unfortunately,“ wrote Varaška.