VLADIVOSTOK, August 22 (Itar-Tass) - Waters in Russia’s major Far-Eastern river, the Amur which is the central actor in an unprecedented flooding at the moment, have risen to new levels near the city of Khabarovsk.
Thursday morning, the water rise reached 702 centimeters, Khabarovsk territory Acting Governor Vyacheslav Shrot told a local television channel.
He said the situation was the most complicated in the Khabarovsk urban area and the adjoining district, as well as in the Nanaisky district. Also, river water had begun to rise near the territory’s second largest industrial center, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which is located some 300 km downstream from Khabarovsk.
The flood is threatening three sections of an automobile road linking Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur, as well as one of the bridges on the same road. The pavement at one of the sections was covered by 3 to 4 centimeters of water in the small hours of Thursday.
Vyacheslav Shrot said the zone of flooding would continue to expand as long as the inundation was spreading further downstream. He mentioned the apprehensions that the flood might eventually affect up to 40,000 people.
The help evacuate the population of the calamity-stricken areas two camps will be put up for the evacuees near Komsomolsk-on-Amur. “These are the newest modular camps of the Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense and they have all the amenities necessary for accommodation,” Shrot said.
He stressed the willingness of all regions of the country to help people in the Khabarovsk territory.
For instance, the authorities of neighboring Primorsky /Maritime/ territory have said they are ready to offer the local summer camps to children from the areas affected by the flood. Other regions have sent in financial aid and building materials.
“Even China that is feeling a severe impact of floods, too, has offered assistance,” Shrot said. “We needed some 100,000 sacks for building temporary dams and our Chinese partners met our demands within the shortest possible period.”
He stressed the unparalleled character of the situation in the territory. “There’ve never been any water rises of this kind throughout the 120 years of hydrometeorology observations in the Amur area.