Heavy snow has left some 800 customers without electricity in central Slovakia on Wednesday morning, with 40 electric substations belonging to utility company Stredoslovenská Distribučná out of operation, company spokesman Miroslav Gejdoš has said. Some new electricity lines also malfunctioned due to the unfavourable weather, which in recent days has included heavy sleet and winds. Trees have fallen on electric lines and smashed conductors at various locations. Although electricians have already managed to pinpoint some of the malfunction sites, their work is still being hampered by wet terrain that is difficult to access or by high snowdrifts, said Gejdoš. He emphasised that although the company's employees are doing their utmost to restore supplies of electricity in the shortest possible time, in some cases customers will have to be patient.
In the village of Oravská Lesná in the district of Námestovo, the roof of a production plant collapsed on Tuesday night due to the heavy snow, Slovak Police have reported on their social network profile. "The night shift was 20-30 people, fortunately no one hurt," the police said. Orava is the region of Slovakia worst hit by the bad weather.
Soldiers from Žilina and Martin have arrived in the villages Oravská Lesná and Novoť to help with the calamity. According to Michal Lavrík of the District Office in Žilina, the villages Oravská Lesná and Novoť are the most affected in the area and require the most assistance. The commander of the 5th Special Purpose Regiment in Žilina, Miroslav Gardlo, has said that the unit is ready to help with the situation as long as it is needed. Soldiers are also ready to intervene in other towns and cities if the situation so requires.
