KHABAROVSK, August 28 (Itar-Tass) - A large area on one of the main thoroughfares in Khabarovsk - Pionerskaya street, remains flooded for four days now. Even multi-storied residential blocks have been affected. Volunteers and army personnel have brought sandbags to protect residential areas from flooding.
The pumping equipment brought to Khabarovsk from the city of Chita has been pumping out the flood water from the flooded territories 24/7.
"What's the use of staying lazy on a sofa? See a schoolboy working out there? Nobody knows his name. He simply came and has been carrying the sandbags, while strong and healthy guys sometimes come here only to photograph the flooded streets with their mobile telephones," a student of Pacific State University, who gave his name as Vladimir, told Itar-Tass.
Meanwhile, a car approached and every worker nearby was called to dinner. The dinner was brought by the owner of a local Chinese cafe, entrepreneur Marina Tatalina. The dinner is free to all those who are taking part in the clean-up.
The woman said that no one had asked her to bring the food to the workers. "I live here and I see what is going on. I telephoned the mayor's office and found out where the reinforcement operations were underway. Then I cooked dinner and brought it here for the workers to eat," the woman told Itar-Tass.
Only ten-storied buildings in Oleg Koshevoi street and in Trubny by-street had not succumbed to the flood with the waters seeping only into their basements.
Tenants of two-storied houses built in the Stalinist epoch were not so lucky. Their stairways have been flooded. "A neighbor gave me shelter, while my fellow tenants had to apply to the evacuation center," said Svetlana who lives in a flooded house in Buryanova street.
A temporary accommodation center for the flood victims is situated in a nearby school building where people have been coming even at night.
"I have no place to keep my dog; hence, I am here. I had to go on “vacation" without pay," said the dog owner, Dina Vladimirovna, who lives at 5, Yungov street.
A school gym had been adjusted to serve as the office of the evacuation center.
One of the flood victims who had to leave her home said that she came from the settlement of Ussuriysky. Four days ago electricity supply was paralyzed there followed by gas supply cuts. Therefore, the woman had to leave.
"It is warm in here, and free meals are offered," said another woman who had to leave her home because of the flood.
All the people evacuated from the flooded buildings have been staying at temporary accommodation centers. There are 55 such centers in Khabarovsk now.
On Wednesday, the flood waters rose to a critical point of 743 centimeters. The flood is expected to reach its peak on August 29.