Power outages, suspended public transportation, fallen trees: severe weather has wreaked havoc in Ukraine
26 April 18:33
On Sunday, April 26, severe weather is sweeping across various regions of Ukraine. Rain, snow, and gusty winds—such weather has taken Ukrainians by surprise at the end of April, when it is usually already quite warm on the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages. The situation was not without tragedy—two people were killed and two others were injured, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
As a result, over 100 settlements in the Lviv region were left without power. This time, the cause of the blackouts was the severe weather.
“Due to difficult weather conditions and strong gusts of wind, an orange danger level remains in effect in Lviv Oblast. As a result of the bad weather, 103 settlements in the region are currently without power: 21 completely and 82 partially,” reads a statement by Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the Lviv Regional State Administration, on Telegram.
Currently, 39 crews from “Lvivoblenergo” are working to restore power. In particular, nearly 170 specialists and 60 pieces of equipment have been deployed.
Kozytskyi also added that fallen trees have been reported in the Lviv, Zolochiv, Sheptytskyi, and Drohobych districts.
“We have also received reports that the wind tore the roof off a private home in the Zolochiv district and a school in the Lviv district. Specialized services are currently investigating,” the head of the Regional State Administration wrote.
In summary, he urged people not to approach downed power lines, damaged utility poles, fallen trees, or advertising structures. Additionally, he advised against attempting to repair power grid damage on one’s own and instead to call emergency responders and utility workers. If possible, people should also limit their time outdoors.
Additionally, Kozytskyi emphasized that drivers should also be cautious on the roads and avoid parking under trees and structures.
Also, in many districts of Kharkiv, on the afternoon of April 26, a blackout occurred amid the bad weather. Additionally, the metro stopped running in the city.
Local public groups and media began reporting around 4:00 p.m. that a blackout had occurred in the city and parts of the region.
In particular, there is no power in one of Kharkiv’s central shopping malls as well as in many districts. At the same time, the Kharkiv Metro announced that service had been suspended.
“Dear passengers! Due to technical reasons, train service on the metro lines has been temporarily suspended. We will provide an update on the resumption of train service. We apologize for the temporary inconvenience!” the message stated at 4:03 p.m.
As for the region, it is known that at least the Izyum community is without power.
“Attention! The community is completely without power. The cause is a shutdown of a high-voltage line outside the community and district,” stated a post by the Izyum City Council on Telegram.
Later, the Kharkiv City Council confirmed the blackout in the city.
“The power is out in Kharkiv—Ukrenergo, together with Kharkivoblenergo, is investigating the causes of the outage and working to restore power to the city,” the statement said.
They also reported that due to power outages, the city’s electric public transit is temporarily suspended.
On April 26, the Volyn region was hit by squalls of 25–28 m/s. Due to severe weather conditions, as of 5:00 p.m., 300 settlements were completely without power, and 70 were partially without power.
“The most affected areas are those served by the Lutsk (including the Gorokhiv branch), Kovel (Luboml branch), Volodymyr, and Kamin-Kashyrsk branches. The time required to restore power depends on the severity of the damage in your area. The situation remains difficult, as gusts of wind may cause further damage,” reported PJSC “Volynoblenergo.”
Power company workers are doing everything possible to eliminate the effects of the storm as quickly as possible. Fourteen emergency repair crews and 15 units of specialized equipment have been deployed to address the situation.
As a result of the severe weather on April 26, two people died and two were injured. This was reported by the State Emergency Service.
In Cherkasy, a person died when a tree fell on an ATV; another man died in Zakarpattia when a tree fell. In Poltava, tree branches injured a child.
Rescue workers are addressing the aftermath of the storm in 13 regions. Power outages have been reported in 1,121 settlements. Currently, 647 rescue workers and 150 pieces of equipment are involved in the cleanup efforts.
DTEK reports that 60,000 customers in the Kyiv region are without power. Strong winds damaged 80 medium-voltage power lines.
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