KHABAROVSK, September 5 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister and presidential plenipotentiary representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev hopes regional authorities will work efficiently struggling against the devastating flood.
“We hope for efficient work of all officials present here,” he said at an extraordinary meeting in Khabarovsk.
Meanwhile, Trutnev pledged that the Russian government will work quickly and efficiently. “Keep in mind the fact that the decision to make additional allocations was taken for two days,” he said.
“Our top task is to protect settlements, houses. This task concerns a zone, where the water level is expected to rise,” Trutnev said, adding that he together with the minister of emergency situations will fly to Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
“We will fly there and will check all the districts to be provided with necessary machinery,” he said in conclusion.
For his part, Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov demands to avoid price growth on building materials and food in the flood-stricken regions in the Russian Far East.
“The prices on building materials should be fixed to avoid their growth,” he said at the extraordinary meeting.
Puchkov offered to post information about reserves at the websites of the main department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Khabarovsk Territory and the regional government. “We have made stocks of water and food. Let’s prevent the prices from growing,” he noted.
“If there are some problems, we are prepared to deliver additional food products to the temporary accommodation camps from the Russian state reserve agency,” Puchkov pledged.
The peak of the flood in Khabarovsk is forecast on September 6-9 and in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where the water level may reach 980 centimeters, on September 11-15. Intensive work is in store, the deputy premier said. It will be needed to coordinate the activity of federal authorities, which should help people and clean up the aftermath of the natural disaster.
Yuri Trutnev was appointed as head of a governmental committee to clean up the aftermath of a disastrous flood in the Far East following a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin. Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov was appointed as his deputy in the committee.
This is already the 4th mission of the minister of emergency situations in the flood-stricken regions of the Russian Far East from the start of the flood, which had broken all historical maximal levels. “The minister of emergency situations is controlling the flood relief works in Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he will also meet with local residents, in the Jewish Autonomous Region and Amur Region,” spokeswoman of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Irina Rossius told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
The flood situation has stabilized in Amur Region, where a steady water decline is observed and the restoration works are in progress at the settlements. The water is receding gradually in the Jewish Autonomous Region. The heaviest flood situation has emerged in Khabarovsk Territory. The water level may reach 980 centimeters near Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Meanwhile, about 30,000 people can be evacuated.