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Minister: Flood situation in Amur region difficult

A devastating flood made the authorities deploy 64 temporary stations that can admit over 16,000 people in the Amur region
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Russia's EMERCOM Press Service
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Russia's EMERCOM Press Service

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, August 7 (Itar-Tass) - The flood situation in the Amur region is difficult, but it is under control, Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov, who arrived in the flood area, said on Wednesday.

“The situation is difficult, but stable, federal structures, regional executive authorities and local self-government bodies are working jointly. Necessary material stocks were made,” he said at a visiting meeting of the governmental committee.

Puchkov also noted that a task force for cleaning up the aftermaths of the flood is being created and the plans for evacuating people are being specified. “We should take a decision for a more intensive work,” the minister noted.

The water level in the rivers Zeya and Amur went up 7-10 metres, the rivers burst their banks at many places. Sixteen settlements are flooded in the Amur region, the hardest situation has emerged in the village of Vladimirovka in the Blagoveshchensk district. As many as 215 houses are flooded in the village, the press service of the main Emergency Situation Ministry’s department in the Amur region said on Wednesday.

The rivers also flooded the villages Ivanovka, Algach, Mazanovo, Ust-Ivanovka and others. 334 residential houses are flooded there, in some of them the water is up to the windows, 1,500 people were evacuated.

The rivers Zeya and Amur bursting their banks turned almost in the seas, as one bank is hardly seen from another one. The water flows have washed out eight kilometres of roads in various districts, the vehicles cannot drive to the settlements. The rescuers of the emergency situation service are bringing foodstuffs to people by inflatable boats.

About 40 units of different machinery of the Eastern Military District for the road repairs and the instalment of floating bridges instead of destroyed bridges is coming for help to the Amur region. The emergency convoy plans to arrive in the Zeya district of the Amur region on Wednesday evening, the press service of the district said.

A devastating flood made the authorities deploy 64 temporary stations that can admit over 16,000 people in the Amur region.