Heavy rainfall and wet snow have caused serious problems in the southern and central regions of Serbia, where a red code for bad weather has been declared, Serbian national broadcaster RTS reported. In the highest mountains, the snow cover has already exceeded half a meter, while in the lower parts over 100 liters of rain per square meter are expected. As a result of the severe conditions, a state of emergency has been declared in the municipalities of Ivanica, Nova Varos and Medvedja, BTA reported.
In Medvedja, where the snow damaged the power grid, 90 percent of the villages are without electricity, the television reported. The deputy mayor of the municipality, Rade Perović, said that the center of the municipality has now regained power, but many roads in its mountainous and hilly areas remain impassable due to fallen trees.
According to RTS, the situation in Nova Varoš is particularly dire. Over 80 percent of households there are without electricity, and the entire city is without water due to broken cables and damaged poles. The mayor of the city, Branko Belič, announced that a state of emergency has been introduced throughout the municipality. According to him, actions have been taken to restore the power line to the main water sources in order to partially restore the water supply.
The snowstorm has caused dozens of failures in the network in the country, with the main problems in the districts of Raška, Zlatibor, Moravička, Pčinja and Jablanica, reports the national company “Elektrorazpredelenie Srbija“, quoted by the Serbian edition of Euronews. In the Niš and Kraljevo regions, around 50,000 consumers are left without electricity. Although most major damage has been repaired, new breakdowns are occurring due to the ongoing snowfall.
The company points out that access to the breakdown sites is very difficult due to impassable roads and severe weather conditions, but all teams are working on the ground and are in constant coordination with local authorities to clear the road infrastructure.
The authorities are calling on citizens to be extremely careful when traveling due to fallen trees and difficult-to-pass sections.
Earlier today, two electricity poles fell near the Strezimirovci checkpoint on the Serbian-Bulgarian border as a result of snowfall in the Surdulica region, southeastern Serbia, regional television En1 reported, citing the Serbian national road company.