Bad weather hits Albania, several villages isolated; floods and landslides

Water has overflowed from the canal on the old Fushë Krujë-Mamurra axis near the center of Borizana.

It is reported that the water has carried away large amounts of inert materials and blocked the road for several hours.

Currently the water has receded and the crossing is one lane.

Bad weather has affected Albania since the early hours of this morning, while the first problems have appeared in some areas.

As a result of the bad weather, there have been floods and landslides on several roads, while several mountainous areas in Dukagjin have been blocked, temporarily isolating residents.

The situation is more problematic on the Theth-Ndërlysa axis and in the Ndërlysa-Breg Lumi segment, where several villages remain isolated after the roads have become impassable.

Local authorities announce that the intervention of Shkodra municipality vehicles and Civil Emergency teams, which will also be joined by the Army Forces, is expected to unblock the roads and restore normal traffic for residents of the area. Meanwhile, the main Shkodra-Theth road is reported to be passable and without problems, as are the national axes and main roads throughout the Shkodra region.

In addition to the isolation of the villages, another concern remains the lack of electricity in many areas of the Vau Dejës municipality and in several other mountain villages where bad weather has caused network failures. The situation aggravated by the weather conditions is also accompanied by a serious incident during the night in the village of Preknicaj in Shkreli in Malësia e Madhe, where a two-story house was engulfed in flames at around 02:00. The house of citizen Zef Preknicaj was completely burned despite the intervention of firefighters, causing major material damage. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. Preliminary investigations indicate that the cause of the fire is thought to have been a lightning strike, caused by increased electrical activity in the atmosphere over the last 24 hours.

The working groups of municipalities, Civil Emergencies, the Army, OSHEE and other structures are on full alert to manage any emergency situation that may arise. In the meantime, the authorities call on residents to avoid unnecessary movements, especially in the mountainous areas of the Shkodra region, until weather conditions improve.

View from the flood

The situation in the Municipality of Mat has worsened as a result of the intense rainfall of the last few hours. According to information from local structures, in the village of Rreth Baz, a house appears to be at risk of flooding. Firefighters and other vehicles have been deployed to the scene to remove the water and prevent the situation from worsening.

Also, the Burrel-Skuraj national road poses a serious risk to traffic, as rockfalls have been recorded in some segments, putting passing vehicles at risk. A contractor was immediately engaged to clean the road and eliminate any additional risk for drivers.

Problems have also been reported in the Municipality of Dibër, where several administrative units are without electricity. The lack of power supply has affected the units of Kala e Dodës, Sllovë, Zall Dardhë, Reç, Lura and part of the Arras–Fushë Çidhën unit.

For safety reasons, the feeder supplying these areas has been disconnected due to electrical discharges caused by the storm. OSHEE teams are monitoring the situation and working to normalize supply as soon as conditions are safe.

The Ministry of Defense has issued a press statement on the weather situation in the country.

According to her, the situation appears to be mostly calm, with low to medium intensity rainfall and no serious problems at the national level.

Meanwhile, power outages have been reported in the municipality of Fushë Arrëz due to strong winds. In the Lezha region, a tree fell on the Lezha-Shëngjin axis, damaging power lines and cutting off power.

There is a presence of debris on the Lezhë-Balldren road and operational forces are working to clear it.

Meanwhile, in other regions of the country, no weather-related problems are reported.

Ministry of Defense announcement: 

The meteorological situation in the country appears to be mostly calm, with low to medium intensity rainfall and no serious problems at the national level. 

In the Shkodra region, the intense rainfall that fell yesterday afternoon damaged the Breg Lumi–Theth road segment, where 9 people and 5 vehicles remained stranded. Thanks to the rapid intervention of municipal forces, the State Police and the Armed Forces, the people were successfully evacuated. The road remains stranded and is being cleared of debris, with the support of 10 Armed Forces personnel. 

Power outages have been reported in the Fushe Arrëz municipality due to strong winds.

In the Lezha region, on the Lezha-Shëngjin axis, a tree has fallen, damaging power lines and cutting off electricity. There is debris on the Lezha-Balldren road and operational forces are working to clear it.

No weather-related problems are reported in other regions of the country.

According to the Military Meteorological Service, in the next 24 hours, occasional rainfall of low to medium intensity is expected, while in Shkodër, Vlorë and Gjirokastër the rainfall will intensify in the form of thunderstorms. From the afternoon to the early morning hours, heavy rainfall is also expected in Lezha, Durrës and Tirana, accompanied by electrical discharges. Fog and reduced visibility are expected in valley areas.

The Ministry of Defense and the National Civil Protection Agency are on full alert, coordinating structures to cope with the possible consequences of bad weather. We ask residents of areas where problems may arise to contact local authorities!

Heavy rainfall in the Kurbin area has brought the first problems.

Flows in the Droje River have reached almost critical levels, and in some village roads the presence of water has blocked the movement of residents.

On the Skuraj - Burrel road axis, falling rocks on the road and landslides from the mountains have made vehicle traffic difficult.

Maintenance workers are working in this area to remove inert materials.

Moti i keq ka goditur sërish Vlorën. Erërat e fuqishme të ditës së sotme kanë rrëzuar një pemë shumë vjeçare në zonën pranë rrugës kryesore, duke krijuar rrezik për kalimtarët dhe automjetet.

Problematika ka pasur edhe në Pyllin e Sodës, disa pisha janë rrezuar nga era duke bllokuar segmentin që të shkon në fshatin Zvërenc, ndërsa qarkullimi është vështirësuar deri në ndërhyrjen e strukturave bashkiake.

Ndërkohë, edhe në rrugën e Plazhit të Vjetër, një pemë e madhe ka rrezikuar kalimtarët dhe automjetet. Për pasojë, një krah i rrugës është bllokuar përkohësisht, ndërsa punonjësit po punojnë në terren për heqjen e pemës dhe normalizimin e qarkullimit.

Pavarësisht erërave të forta dhe dëmtimeve në infrastrukturën e gjelbër, situata nga përmbytjet deri tani paraqitet e qetë, nuk ka patur problematika.

A residential house has been burned down in the village of Preknicaj in Shkreli in Malësia e Madhe.

The fire is reported to have broken out around 02:00 in the two-story house of citizen Zef Preknicaj.

Despite the intervention of firefighters, the apartment in question was completely destroyed, causing extensive material damage, while no people were injured.

The cause of the fire, according to preliminary investigations, is thought to be electrical discharges due to deteriorating weather conditions in the last 24 hours.

A lightning bolt is thought to have struck this house, causing the fire that completely burned the house down.

Municipal working groups, together with Civil Emergencies and the Army Forces, OSHEE groups and other institutions are on standby for any emergency situation.

Emergencies call on residents to avoid unnecessary movements, mainly in the mountainous areas of the Shkodra region.

Bad weather has 'invaded' Kruja, where heavy rainfall has flooded fields with crops in several villages.

A problematic situation exists throughout the lowlands of the Krujë Municipality, mainly in the villages of Bilaj, Murqinë, Mallkuc, etc.

Large areas of crops are being covered more and more every minute by canal water, which, unable to flow freely into the river, is overflowing and flooding the fields with crops.

The water level has reached an alarming point, as there is a risk that, if the rainfall continues at the same intensity, not only fields but also businesses and homes will be flooded, because the canals are not functioning.

Most of the canals have not been cleaned for decades and are covered with vegetation and blocked.