A severe storm which ravaged all Baltic countries has knocked out power in many areas, flooded towns and paralyzed the traffic and ferry lines

A severe storm which ravaged all Baltic countries has knocked out power in many areas, flooded towns and paralyzed the traffic and ferry lines. Sources in the Eesti Energia electricity distribution company said the storm has interrupted electricity supplies to 5,500 sub-stations which make up 30% of the country's network. The Viliandi, Parnu, Yuigava and Viru districts, and the Saaremaa island were hit the worst, he said. Restoration work has begun, but is proceeding slowly since some of the roads have been flooded or blocked by fallen trees. A ferry line between the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa was paralyzed on Saturday evening. Fallen trees blocked the traffic along the Via Baltic highway. The country's western regions, among them Kreting and Telsiai, suffered the heaviest damage. About 200,000 cubic meters of wood were brought down by the hurricane, according to the department. The interior minister issued the order to close down the Ikla checkpoint on the border with Latvia. The storm caused serious destruction in the town of Parnu in southwestern Estonia, where some of the seaside streets were flooded up to the center. The damage caused by the Erwin hurricane that hit Lithuania over the weekend is estimated at approximately 2 million litas (580,000 euros), Lithuania's forestry department. About 230,000 people in the republic were left without electricity. Heat and water supply were cut in some of the regions. More than 100 people were evacuated on Sunday from coastal towns in western Estonia as strong storms and heavy rains battered regions on the Baltic Sea causing flooding.