The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service (LHMT) shares VU hydrologist Assoc. Dr. In the memories of Gintaras Valiushkevičius (language not corrected).
“The Panemune Bridge in Kaunas is one of the few that collapsed and the people on it managed to escape. in 1928 April 1 late in the evening, ice floes knocked down one of the supports of the newly built (not yet finished) bridge, but casualties were avoided. Later, the bridge was rebuilt, using the remaining healthy structures and adjusting the project.” In addition, part of the collapsed and folded trusses of the Panemune Bridge were straightened and used for the bridge over the Mūša River in Saločiai.
Currently, LHMT (also the Latvian Center for Environment, Geology and Meteorology together with the Lithuanian Energy Institute) has started implementing the project “Ice Flood Risk Management in Latvian and Lithuanian Regions under Climate Change” (ICEREG). Planned activity – based on the analysis of historical data, a conceptual model of the formation of ice conglomerates and the flood inundation caused by this phenomenon will be created. Changes in the occurrence of ice floes due to the effects of climate change will also be assessed. Hazard and risk maps of ice floods with 0.5%, 1%, 10% probability for 2030, 2070 and 2100 will then be produced. Based on the results of the project, the flood risk information system of Latvia and the warning system of Lithuania will be improved, supplementing them with information about the formation of ice floes and possible floods due to them. National and local authorities and target groups will be able to use the flood maps, which will mark the affected areas, and integrate the data into the warning systems of both countries (Lithuania and Latvia).
LHMT inf.
