WINTER ARRIVES LATE, BUT WITH A VENGEANCE

( Editorial: --> 6173 ) GOSPIC, Jan 21 (Hina) - A tardy winder arrived in Croatia dragging along with it gale-force winds and fierce snow storms after an unusually warm spot of weather. The Lika-Senj County is a mountainous region in central and coastal Croatia used to hard winters, but this year a state of emergency was proclaimed. Due to snow drifts the Lika highway has been closed for traffic and damaged transmission lines have left a part of the county without electricity. Stormy weather and snow storms in the Plitvice lakes national park covered roads with snow up to one metre in height. About 30 vehicles and trucks had to be pulled out of the snow around noon on Wednesday and two hours later, several other cars with people inside had to be extracted. Municipal authorities accommodated people in schools in Korenica and Mukinje and the Borje hotel in the national park. Over 150 passengers who were held prisoners in their own cars by the storm were forced to spend the night in this hotel. Because of forceful bouts of wind, snow ploughs could not make it to Plitvice on Wednesday, so the Croatian army was sent to help. The powerful wind, which has been blowing in the northwestern part of Croatia as well, broke about forty power poles and damaged transmission lines, so most of eastern Croatia - Slavonia and Baranja - were left without electricity. It took a dozen teams of workers and the whole Tuesday night to fix the electricity network. The work continued on Wednesday, too. Judging on the damages discovered so far, it will continue during the next several days as well. Due to a tempest in Dalmatia, the Maslenica bridge has been closed for traffic and ferry traffic between the mainland and the islands has been cut off. The strong winds overturned a trailer-truck near Obrovac (near Dalmatia's port of Zadar), so the police warned drivers to take extra care. (hina) lm jn 212037 MET jan 98