The Nemunas River is bringing not just excess water but also large chunks of ice and snow downstream in the area between Kaunas and Tauragė. Photo used courtesy of the Ministry of the Interior.

VILNIUS — More than 50 people have been evacuated from their homes in the Kaunas region after the Nemunas River flooded following a huge ice melt upstream.

Heavy snow throughout the winter, steady rain over the past three days and a sudden change into positive temperatures saw the nation’s waterways flooded with run off from melting snow and big chunks of ice. The majority of the snow, piled more than a meter high in many places, melted in just two days causing the deluge in multiple towns and cities throughout the nation.

Flooding occurred overnight, breaking the river bank between midnight and 3 a.m. on Monday. In some areas, water levels rose more than two meters according to local authorities.

The Kaunas district government moved to declare a state of emergency in the region. Residents near rivers have been urged to gather their personal valuables for quick evacuation and move other items to the second story of their houses.

The military is expected to blast some of the ice dams that have clogged the flow of the river in an effort to end flooding.

Authorities do not have a flood damage estimate yet.

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