Snow Emergency Still in Place in Zilina Region, 160 Firefighters Out on Call

Oravska Lesna/Novot, January 18 (TASR) - Firefighters have had their hands busy with snowdrifts in Zilina region this week, TASR learnt from Zilina Firefighter and Emergency Corps regional director Jaroslav Kapusniak on Friday. A total of 86 firefighters were despatched on Friday to remove snowdrifts from house roofs in the villages of Oravska Lesna and Novot, and make roads to the village of Brisovka passable. "In total, 160 firefighters have been called to action in the Zilina region, out of whom 73 are professionals," said Kapusniak. A state of emergency is still in place in the district of Namestovo and other villages. A helicopter was used for the first time in Slovak history to dislodge snow from overloaded trees in Horna Orava on Thursday (January 17), with the military helping to clear drifts since Tuesday (January 15). mf